Would you like to see a pristine sample of asteroid Bennu? Small fragments are now on display in Arizona, Texas and D.C. Learn more here.
The post Pieces of asteroid Bennu now on display for YOU! first appeared on EarthSky.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx space mission launched from Earth in 2016, collected samples of asteroid Bennu in 2020 and returned the samples to Earth in a dramatic drop from space in September 2023. launched from Earth in 2016, collected samples of asteroid Bennu in 2020 and returned the samples to Earth in a dramatic drop from space in September 2023. There are now 3 places on Earth where the public can view the samples of Bennu: in Arizona, Texas and Washington, D.C. of Bennu: in Arizona, Texas and Washington, D.C. Preliminary analysis of Bennu samples suggest the asteroid is a remnant of a small planet-like body, perhaps an ocean world. See asteroid Bennu on display Remember how exciting it was on September 24, 2023, when – after a journey of nearly 3.9 billion miles (6.8 billion km) – the OSIRIS REx spacecraft dropped its return capsule carrying pieces of asteroid Bennu onto a Utah desert? The samples were quickly whisked away to a clean room in Houston for analysis. But now they're on display at three museums in the U.S. Would you like to see them? If so, there are three places you can go. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., has a sample of Bennu. Space Center Houston in Texas has one. It's the official visitors' center of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. And the University of Arizona's Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum now has a small sample of Bennu, collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission and brought back to Earth last September. The University of Arizona led the principal science operations for the mission. These are the only three places in the world to showcase a piece of an extraterrestrial rock, apart from the moon rocks brought back by the Apollo missions. Your support means the world to us and allows us to keep going. Donate today to support EarthSky's planet and dark sky conservation efforts. A special sample from asteroid Bennu Meteorites are common. You can find many on display in museums…