Breaking News: Epic 7-Year Voyage Culminates as Asteroid Sample Touches Down in Utah!

Editors note: A version of this story appeared in CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

Its the little spacecraft that could.

The OSIRIS-REx probe, launched on September 8, 2016, set out on a historic mission to become NASA's first endeavor to retrieve a sample from a nearby asteroid and bring it back to Earth. Along the arduous seven-year expedition, every step has been rife with unforeseen obstacles and remarkable achievements that seem tailor-made for a gripping Hollywood spectacle.

The spacecraft, equivalent in size to a cargo van, reached orbit around the asteroid Bennu in December 2018. It offered intricate perspectives of the asteroid, resembling a spinning top, which is essentially a cohesion of debris held together by gravitational force.

During a close approach to collect a sample, OSIRIS-REx discovered that the surface of the asteroid resembles a pit of plastic balls. This peculiar characteristic could have potentially enveloped the spacecraft if it had not swiftly retreated.

Now, the saga of a spacecraft that whirled around an asteroid is about to come to an endand lead to a new, exciting chapter of exploration.

Other worlds

A training model of the OSIRIS-REx mission's sample return capsule was released from an aircraft in August, simulating the upcoming recovery operations.

Keegan Barber/NASA

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will fly by Earth this weekend and drop off its precious sample from Bennu.

Tune in to NASA's live coverage on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET as we witness the sample capsule journey through Earth's atmosphere and touch down in the Utah desert. While the capsule lands, OSIRIS-REx will continue its expedition to delve into the mysteries of the asteroid Apophis.

After securely transporting the capsule to a sterile environment, scientists will unveil the actual contents to the public on October 11. Examining the rocks and soil could provide valuable knowledge about the origins of our solar system and the makeup of potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids.

The winners of the 2023 Ig Nobel Prizes have tackled various research challenges, including reanimating dead spiders, investigating scientists' preference for licking rocks, and counting the number of nose hairs in each person's nostrils.

The awards, unrelated to the Nobel Prizes, aim to "commemorate the extraordinary, recognize the innovative, and ignite public fascination with science, medicine, and technology."

The Mechanical Engineering Prize was awarded to a team from Rice University in Texas for their groundbreaking work in reviving deceased spiders for the purpose of creating mechanical gripping tools. By doing so, the spiders exhibited the ability to firmly hold onto objects exceeding their own weight by up to 130%.

The prize for each winner: a (now defunct) 10 trillion Zimbabwe dollar bill and a pack of Ig Pseudo Cola.

Dig this

A remarkably well-preserved leather shoe, found by archaeologists in Dürrnberg, Austria, dates back more than 2,000 years.

Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum

A childs shoe was uncovered during an excavation in an Austrian villageand the laces are still intact after more than 2,000 years.

According to researchers, the leather shoe shown above was probably crafted in Dürrnberg during the second century BC. The artifact has managed to sustain its excellent condition thanks to the presence of rock salt, which was mined in the village since the Iron Age. As part of their efforts to gain insights into the lives of these miners from the Iron Age, researchers have been conducting excavations in various areas of the town. These excavations have led to the discovery of priceless fragments of other objects that are believed to have once been owned by these miners.

Separately, archaeologists have unearthed the oldest known wooden structure along a riverbank in Zambia, and the interlocking logs are almost half a million years old.

Back to the future

The Tasmanian tiger, also known as a thylacine, was declared extinct in 1936. However, scientists have recently managed to extract genetic material from a specimen in a museum. This marsupial predator had mostly vanished 2,000 years ago and could only be found on the island state of Tasmania in Australia before it was hunted to extinction.

For the first time ever, geneticists successfully retrieved RNA from a thylacine specimen housed at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. This breakthrough allowed them to gain valuable insights into the functioning of the species' genes. The genetic material obtained offers a comprehensive biological understanding of the animal and holds significant potential for future endeavors aimed at reviving the extinct Tasmanian tiger.

Wild kingdom

Scientists set out to study how living in captivity affected the body clock of giant pandas.

CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty Images

Giant pandas housed in captivity, like those found in zoos, might be suffering from an uncommon affliction: "jet lag."

Every animal possesses a circadian clock, an internal body clock that functions on a 24-hour cycle, regulated by stimuli from their surroundings.

According to recent research, giant pandas experience jet lag when their captive environment does not align with the latitudinal range of their natural habitat. This discrepancy can lead to unusual behavior and disruptions in their activity levels. As giant pandas are endangered, it is vital to comprehend their well-being while in captivity, emphasizes the research team.

Curiosities

Catch up on these fascinating stories:

Many people believe that Mr. Monopoly wears a monocle, indicating a common misconception known as the Mandela Effect. Interesting research suggests that even though Caribbean box jellyfish lack a central brain, they possess the ability to learn from previous encounters, much like humans.

1.3 billion years ago, the fragmentation of an ancient supercontinent in Western Australia gave rise to a precious collection of pink diamonds, according to recent research.

A mesmerizing image capturing an unexpected arc-shaped finding in close proximity to the Andromeda Galaxy has been crowned the winner of the 2023 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.

If you enjoyed what you just read, there's even more in store for you. Subscribe here to have the next edition of Wonder Theory, presented by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland and Katie Hunt, delivered straight to your inbox. They explore the wonders of planets outside our solar system and fascinating discoveries from ancient times.