Far from Earth, a U.S. spacecraft gently brushed the face of an asteroid named Bennu on Tuesday in an attempt to pick up and return primordial grit, the first such U.S. mission to try to bring back clues on the origins of the planets from an asteroid’s surface. It may be days before the outcome of the encounter 200 million miles away, the heart of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s $1.16 billion Osiris-REx mission, can be determined, NASA officials said.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 20, 2020 18:25 UTC