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Brian May continues to demonstrate why he is a true rock legend. Not only is he the renowned guitarist of Queen, but he is also an astrophysicist who played a crucial role in NASA's successful retrieval of its inaugural asteroid sample from space recently.
"Hello NASA personnel, space enthusiasts, and fans of asteroids! I am Brian May from the band Queen, and I am truly honored to be a part of the OSIRIS-REx team. In a clip broadcasted on NASA TV Sunday, the 76-year-old musician expressed his immense pride in being involved in the collection of a sample from the asteroid Bennu."
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Spacecraft is delivering asteroid sample to Earth
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft completed a flyby of Earth on Sunday, marking the culmination of a seven-year mission to gather samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. In 2020, it successfully collected a sample from the ancient asteroid, estimated to be over 4.5 billion years old, before embarking on its return journey to Earth. Notably, May made a significant contribution to the mission by utilizing the spacecraft's data to create stereoscopic images. These images played a vital role in enabling Dante Lauretta, the mission's leader, and the team to identify a secure landing site for sample collection.
In the clip, May apologized for not being with the team on the momentous occasion.
"Im rehearsing for a Queen tour but my heart stays with you as this precious sample is recovered," he explained.
"Happy sample return day, and congratulations to all who work so incredibly hard on this mission, especially my dear friend Dante."
"God bless you all," he added.
After dropping off the sample capsule in Utah, OSIRIS-REx is continuing its travels to study a different asteroid, named Apophis, the space agency said.
