Today, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is expecting the return of a sample from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft taken from asteroid Bennu three years ago.
The capsule is scheduled to parachute into the Defense Department’s Utah Test and Training Range to deliver the sample from the mothership. After the sample is secured, it will be transferred to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The OSIRIS-REx was launched for its mission 7 years ago and will continue to search for asteroids to sample.
Asteroid Bennu, which was discovered in 1999, is approximately the length of New York City’s Empire State Building. There is a 1 in 2700 chance of Bennu colliding with Earth in September of 2182. The asteroid passes by the earth once every six years.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For lead scientist Dante Lauretta and his team as they retrieve and secure the steroid sample.
- For Administrator Bill Nelson and other NASA officials to seek God’s wisdom as they authorize and plan space missions.
- For the president and members of his administration as they determine the role the U.S. will play in space, both educationally and militarily.
