Proposed Mission Will Return Sample from Near-Earth Object

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This is an artists concept of the OSIRIS spacecraft taking a sample of asteroid RQ36. Credit: NASAU. of Arizona
This is an artist's concept of the OSIRIS spacecraft taking a sample of asteroid RQ36. Credit: NASA/U. of Arizona

A menacing lump of rock and dust in space called 10195 (1999 RQ36) would barely be noticed except for two crucial facts: First, "It's a treasure trove of organic material, so it holds clues to how Earth formed and life got started," said Joseph Nuth of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Second, it regularly crosses Earth's orbit, so it might impact us someday.


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Oct 07, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
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MESSENGER Returns Images from Oct. 6 Mercury Fly-By

Oct 07, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
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