NASA Lauched First Asteroid Sample Return Mission

                NASA is set to launch its first mission to return pristine samples of an asteroid to Earth, which will study how planets formed and how life began. The finding may also improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-Rex) spacecraft will travel to the near Earth asteroid Bennu and bring a sample back to Earth for intensive study. Launch was scheduled for September 8 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The 2,110-Kilogramme fully-fueled spacecraft will launch aboard and Atlas V 411 rocket during a 34-day launch period that begins September 8, and reach Bennu in 2018. After a careful survey of Bennu to characterize the asteroid and locate the most promising sample sited, OSIRIS-Rex will collect between 60 to 2,000 grams of surface material with its robotic arm and return the sample to Earth via a detachable capsule in 2023