The radio astronomers had determined the asteroid’s shape and size. It was big enough and it did not appear to have a lot of boulders that would block collection of surface regolith.

Its target is Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid that scientists think is rich with ancient carbon. “Bennu is a time capsule from the earliest stages of solar system formation,” Lauretta said.

In May 2021, OSIRIS-REx began its journey back to Earth carrying dust from Bennu - a rubble-pile asteroid older than Earth itself. When the capsule was opened in 2023, scientists were stunned by ...

The rocky object called Bennu is classified as a near-Earth asteroid, currently making its closest approach to Earth every six years at about 186,000 miles away. It might come even closer in the ...

On September 24, 2182, a relatively large space rock has a 0.037% chance of crashing onto the surface of Earth. Although the chances of impact are slim, Bennu is still one of the most potentially ...

By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — If the near-Earth asteroid Bennu were to collide with Earth in the future, the space rock could cause substantial ...

(CNN) — If the near-Earth asteroid Bennu were to collide with Earth in the future, the space rock could cause substantial global damage, even though it’s a fraction of the size of the asteroid ...

Near-Earth asteroid Bennu has a slim chance of colliding with Earth in 2182. If it does, the impact could trigger a global winter that affects our planet for years.

By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — If the near-Earth asteroid Bennu were to collide with Earth in the future, the space rock could cause substantial global damage, even though it’s a fraction ...

Studies of rocks and dust collected from Bennu, an asteroid orbiting Earth, have revealed clues about how life may have first formed on Earth. A NASA mission collected the sample and brought it ...

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory is celebrating after the Parker Solar Probe survived a close encounter with the sun's surface.

The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost immediately.