Mother lode
This was the image we had all been waiting for—a clear view of the asteroid material tucked inside NASA’s sample container. NASA finally managed to crack open this pesky cookie jar, revealing that its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft brought back an impressive 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of material from asteroid Bennu, exceeding the mission’s goal by more than double. This announcement, made on February 15, comes three years after the spacecraft collected the samples. The material, housed in eight wedge-shaped steel containers, are shown here accompanied by stainless steel examination tools.
