Stuck the landing!
Three years ago today, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft released a sample capsule at the edge of Earth’s atmosphere to land perfectly upright in the Utah desert.
The capsule held a record amount of pristinely captured rocks and dust from asteroid Bennu. Scientists have studied the extraterrestrial sample, learning it contains all the ingredients key to life.
ALT A black, cone-shaped spacecraft reentry capsule sits upright, with its pointed end stuck slightly into the wet sand of a desert plain dotted with low green shrubs. Pale mountains rise in the distance beneath a clear blue sky. The capsule appears intact after landing, standing out against the light-colored, sandy terrain.