Countdown Begins for Asteroid Mission

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Countdown Begins for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Mission

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission began its countdown on December 9, at 7:43 PM EST, with 999 days remaining until the opening of the mission’s launch window in September 2016.

“This is a pioneering effort, both technologically and scientifically,” said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-Rex principal investigator from the University of Arizona, Tuscon. “Starting the countdown clock carries a lot of symbolism for us. After December 9, we will have a constant reminder of the time remaining to send OSIRIS-REx on his quest to return a sample of asteroid Bennu”.

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