NASA mission: Study space rocks

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Many space missions have taken astronauts and rovers into space to search for space rocks. One of these missions is the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission.

Photo of a rocket launching during the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission.

The OSIRIS-REx mission includes launching a space craft into orbit and gathering samples from an asteroid named Bennu. The regolith space rock of the asteroid might record the earliest history of our Solar System. The OSIRIS-Rex mission is all about finding out more about where humans came from and what our destiny is.

Photo of the surface of an asteroid and patches of fine-grain regolith.

The OSIRIS-REx mission is unique compared to the other types of missions that we've talked about. The OSIRIS-REx takes high-quality photos while in orbit and also lands to gather samples. The photos are sent to rock experts on Earth, who analyze features of the photos to gain information about our Solar System.

Visit the NASA OSIRIS-REx website to learn more and see some amazing photos captured from the spacecraft.