sample return mission

It’s Time to Decide. Where Should OSIRIS-REx Take a Sample from Bennu?

NASA's OSIRIS-REx arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018. During the past year, it's been imaging the surface of the…

4 years ago

Hayabusa 2 has one Last Lander it’s Going to Throw at Ryugu

JAXA recently released photos of their Hayabusa2 mission deploying target markers to the surface of the asteroid Ryugu.

5 years ago

Watch this Amazing Video of Hayabusa 2 Picking Up a Sample from the Surface of Ryugu

A new video shows Japan's Hayabusa 2 sample return spacecraft collecting samples from asteroid Ryugu. The spacecraft has been at…

5 years ago

Hayabusa 2 is the First Spacecraft to Sample the Inside of an Asteroid

Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is now the first spacecraft to retrieve a subsurface sample from an asteroid. On July 11th,…

5 years ago

Hayabusa2 Left a Dark Spot Where it Touched Down on Ryugu. Engineers Aren’t Sure Why

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft left its mark on asteroid Ryugu, which mission controllers noticed after the spacecraft touched down on the…

5 years ago

Shout Out to Japan! Their Hayabusa2 Spacecraft has Collected its First Samples from Asteroid Ryugu

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has completed an important part of its mission to asteroid Ryugu. The spacecraft descended to the surface…

5 years ago

Japan’s Hayabusa2 is About to Shoot Up the Surface of Ryugu with Tiny Impactors so they can Collect a Sample

Japan's Hayabusa2 mission is about to get down to business. After arriving at asteroid Ryugu at the end of June…

5 years ago

OSIRIS-REx Has Already Found Water on Bennu

NASA's OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) has found water on the asteroid Bennu. Bennu is OSIRIS-REx's only…

5 years ago

Students: Asteroid 1999 RQ36 Needs a New Name!

NASA and the Planetary Society are giving students worldwide the opportunity to name an asteroid. And it’s not just any…

12 years ago

Robots Tested in Sample Return Challenge

Caption: Participants in NASA's Sample Return Robot Challenge. Credit: NASA Editor’s note: This guest post was written by Andy Tomaswick,…

12 years ago