NMNH - Bennu, Sample capsule
NASA/Keegan Barber
The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range.
As it soared by Earth in September 2023, OSIRIS-REx dropped the capsule containing Bennu samples. The capsule entered Earth’s atmosphere off the coast of California, and when it landed on the desert floor in Utah, scientists promptly collected it to prevent as much contamination as possible.
