NASA Spacecraft Arrives at Ancient Asteroid, Its 1st Visitor

After a two-year chase, a NASA spacecraft arrived Monday at the ancient asteroid Bennu, its first visitor in billions of years.   The robotic explorer Osiris-Rex pulled within 12 miles (19 kilometers) of the diamond-shaped space rock. It will get even closer in the days ahead and go into orbit around Bennu on Dec. 31. No spacecraft has ever orbited such a small cosmic body.   It is the first U.S. attempt to gather asteroid samples for return to Earth, something only Japan has...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - lundi 3 décembre 2018