After a long, successful, and fascinating journey, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is finally about to return its precious cargo to Earth.
frameborder="0″ allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen>, and NASA scientists have been preparing for its return ever since. Once the capsule has been collected, it will immediately be taken to a portable clean room at the site to ensure minimal Earth contamination.
In addition, scientists will take samples of the ground and air around the capsule's landing site. This can be compared to the sample, once it has been opened and analyzed, to identify local contaminants. We won't know the results of the first analysis until , but that's not so long to wait. After all, these are big questions that scientists hope a cup of stardust will answer.,"addressing some of the most fundamental questions that we ask ourselves as human beings: Where did we come from? And are we alone in the Universe?"
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