Johnson Space Center hosts OSIRIS-Rex asteroid sample

Now that it has taken up residence at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC), researchers have commenced studying what’s considered the first asteroid sample ever obtained by the U.S.

"Welcome to Houston, OSIRIS-Rex," JSC said in a September 25th Facebook post. "The asteroid sample arrived today in Texas where it will be curated and preserved by our team here at Johnson Space Center."

JSC, which is located approximately 25 miles southeast of Downtown Houston, said in the post scientists from around the world hope the information retrieved will help them in their investigations planetary formation, the origins of life, and asteroids’ impacts on the planet.

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK News reported that sample consists of nearly eight and a half ounces of rock and soil from the asteroid Bennu. Its delivery to JSC courtesy of a C-17 military aircraft concluded a seven-year mission undertaken by Osirus-REX, which covered a total of 3.86 billion miles, the station reported. The spacecraft was over the state of Utah when it dropped the canister from 63,000 miles above the earth's surface.

According to KTRK, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said the mission is proof his agency "does big things." The station reported that the study of the samples is expected to take two years, with the analysis being touted as critical since scientists deduced Bennu could collide with the Earth. NASA said it’ll announce its initial findings next month.