95K views · 5.9K reactions | Our OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is on a mission to explore near-Earth asteroid Bennu, a carbon-rich body that may contain clues to the origins of life. An instrument on the spacecraft will look at the asteroid's spectral signature to detect organics and other minerals: https://youtu.be/aYmgc9XL_Vs | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Facebook

Our OSIRIS-REx mission, launching in September 2016, will return a sample of asteroid Bennu to Earth in 2023. This will allow scientists to study pristine material left over from the early solar system. Want to learn more about the mission? Follow our #NASASocial today: http://go.nasa.gov/1Ta13Wm | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration