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After nearly 4 billion round-trip miles, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was successfully delivered. NASA’s first asteroid sample To the earth.
A capsule containing rocks and soil from the asteroid Bennu landed flawlessly in the Utah desert on September 24th after plunging through Earth’s atmosphere in such heat that it completely scorched the outside of the container.
Its precious contents are now safely stored at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where scientists plan to study them to uncover the secrets of our solar system.
Countless people who have worked on this mission over the years celebrated the historic feat. Queen guitarist Brian MayHe is also an astrophysicist and a proud teammate of OSIRIS-REx.
But the spaceship’s epic journey isn’t over yet.
University of Arizona
Artist renderings show OSIRIS-APEX kicking up dust so Apophis can be studied.
The newly renamed OSIRIS-APEX mission is setting course for Apophis, an asteroid with a fear-inducing reputation.
This space rock, named after the Egyptian god of chaos and darkness, was once thought to be one of Earth’s most dangerous asteroid threats.
The latest research suggests that Apophis is unlikely to collide with Earth in the near future.but Asteroid will come very close to Earth In 2029 people will be able to see it with the naked eye.
And that’s when OSIRIS-APEX will spring into action, entering orbit around Apophis and studying it for 18 months. The spacecraft will no longer be able to collect samples, but it will use its thrusters to kick up dust and rocks to study Apophis’ stony surface.
Archaeologists were excavating a 2,300-year-old tomb in Israel and discovered what they believe to be the remains of a hetaira (ancient Greek prostitute).
A woman’s cremated body was found in a cave. A well-preserved bronze folding mirror.
She is believed to have been one of the first Greeks to arrive in the region accompanying government officials and dignitaries during the Hellenistic period, between 323 BC and 30 BC.
Some details about her burial. The precious, unspoiled mirror hints at the woman’s origins, and researchers hope to uncover more of her story in the future.
Thomas Dressler/imageBROKER/Shutterstock
On the edge of Namibia’s Namib Desert, so-called fairy circles, or bare land forming patterns that stretch for miles, can be found.
Mysterious ‘fairy circles’ – dots of barren soil appearing on dryland grass – sparks They have been the subject of intrigue for decades, ever since they were discovered in the Namib Desert of southern Africa and the outback of Western Australia.
A new atlas created by Spanish scientists using artificial intelligence reveals that fairy rings may exist. hundreds of locations around the world.
phenomenon Although the shape of the circle remains a mystery, the Global Atlas allows for research that may reveal why the polka dots appear.
Separately, scientists predict that the formation of giant “supercontinents” could occur. Within 250 million years, Earth will become virtually uninhabitable.wiping out humans and mammals that can’t handle excessive heat.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio finally returns to Earth after a long journey Record-breaking 371 days in space — and his long stay was not planned.
The Soyuz spacecraft that carried Rubio and cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitri Peterin on a six-month mission was likely hit by space debris and began leaking coolant. The replacement spacecraft docked at the International Space Station in late February, and a new crew finally arrived on September 15.
Rubio’s calendar year at the orbiting outpost is the longest period ever spent in zero gravity by an American astronaut, who is now readjusting to life on Earth.
“We’re not walking[while in space]we’re not carrying our own weight, so it takes between two and six months before we can basically say we’re feeling normal. It will take months,” he said.
Meanwhile, a new movie tells the story of astronaut Jose Hernandez. First former migrant worker to venture into space in 2009 after NASA rejected him 11 times.
Provided by: Nalin Chompfan
The electric blue tarantula is a new species discovered in southern Thailand.
a Newly described tarantula species It’s like being at home throwing spider webs with Spider-Man.
The electric blue tarantula, named Taksinus bambus, was discovered last year living in a tree cavity in southern Thailand.
“Blue is one of the rarest colors that occur in nature, which is why blue colors in animals are particularly attractive,” said Nalin Chompphan, a researcher at Thailand’s Khon Kaen University who helped discover the spider. .
The researchers believe that the unique structure of tarantula fur, rather than the presence of blue pigment, contributes to the creature’s coat variation. A “fascinating” appearance.
Read some interesting reading below:
— The Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine will be announced next week to recognize outstanding minds for research — but Bright prizes attract criticismtoo.
— The elusive pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal, but recently Discovery of unknown species It could help fight the extinction of scaly animals.
–Does gum really stay in your stomach for seven years? Experts have this to say about the Old Wives story: What actually happens when you swallow gum.
— The James Webb Space Telescope Components of life on Europa’s surfacean icy ocean world orbiting Jupiter.
Did you like what you read? Oh, but there’s more to it. Please register here Get the next issue of Wonder Theory from CNN’s space science writers in your inbox. ashley strickland and katie hunt. They find wonder in discovering planets and ancient worlds beyond our solar system.