Craft journeys 200m miles in asteroid quest

ANasa spacecraft has descended to an asteroid and, dodging boulders the size of buildings, momentarily touched the surface to collect a handful of cosmic rubble for return to Earth.

It was a first for the United States – only Japan has collec ted asteroid samples.

“I c a n’ t believe we actually pulled this off,” said lead scientist Dante Lauretta , from the University of Arizona.

“The spacecraft did everything it was supposed to do.”

The Osiris-Rex spacecraft sent back confirmation of its contact with asteroid Bennu more than 200 million miles away, drawing cheers from the mission team.

But it could be a week before scientists know how much, if anything, was grabbed and whether another try will be needed.

If successful, Osiris-Rex will return the samples in 2023.

Following commands sent well in advance by ground controllers near Denver, the spacecraft took four-and-a-half hours to make its way down from its tight orbit around Bennu.

Bennu’s gravity was too low for Osiris-Rex to land – the asteroid is just 1,670ft (510 metres) across.

As a result, the spacecraft had to reach out with its 11ft (3.4-metre) robot arm and attempt to grab at least two ounces (60 grams) of Bennu.

The Un ivers ity of Arizona’s Heather Enos, deputy scientist for the mission, described it as “kissing the surface with a short touch-and-go measured in just seconds”.

Tuesday’s operation was considered the most tricky part of the mission, which began with a launch from Cape Canaveral back in 2016.

The spacecraft was programmed to shoot out pressurised nitrogen gas to stir up the surface, then suck up any loose pebbles or dust.

Contact was expected to last a mere five to 10 seconds, with the spacecraft quickly backing away.

The samples will not return to Earth until 2023 to close out the mission which is costing more than $800 million. The sample capsule will parachute into the Utah desert.