Asteroid Samples
Asteroid samples refer to the physical materials collected from asteroids and returned to Earth for scientific study. The collection of asteroid samples is typically done through robotic spacecraft missions that land on the asteroid's surface or use a robotic arm to collect material from the asteroid's regolith. The study of asteroid samples can provide valuable insights into the formation and evolution of the solar system, as well as the potential for asteroid mining and planetary defense against asteroid impacts. The most well-known asteroid sample return mission is the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa mission, which returned samples from the asteroid Itokawa in 2010. NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is currently en route to the asteroid Bennu, with plans to return samples to Earth in 2023.
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