NASA returns first asteroid samples to earth

NASA on Sunday completed a successful seven-year mission when a capsule with samples from an asteroid landed on Earth for the first time ever. 

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft landed in Utah at 10:52 a.m. ET, the agency said. 

"This marks the US's first sample return mission of its kind and will open a time capsule to the beginnings of our solar system," NASA said.

The sample, collected in 2020 from the asteroid Bennu, has been kept at below 167 degrees Fahrenheit to resemble the temperature on the asteroid's surface, officials said.

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