YAHOO: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The first NASA explorer of its kind took off on a seven-year quest Thursday, chasing after a big, black, unexplored asteroid to gather a few handfuls of gravel for return to Earth.
These bite-size bits of ancient space rock from asteroid Bennu could hold clues to the origin of life, not just on our planet but potentially elsewhere in the solar system.
Thousands gathered to witness the evening launch of Osiris-Rex, a robotic hunter that looks something like a bird with its solar wings. The spacecraft took flight atop an Atlas V rocket, which soared a little before sunset on the mission, a U.S. first.
Victory was declared an hour later; launch controllers shook hands and embraced as the spacecraft shot out of Earth’s orbit, bound for Bennu. MORE
Should’ve named it Slick Willy – he’s always looking for a new asstoride.
😉
“To boldly go. . . . ”
It would be equally awesome to be able to mine asteroids.
VietVet,
No. Just. No. That’s so wrong, on one of the better efforts that NASA has done recently.
Cool. I guess.
Fuck, we landed guys on the moon 47 years ago. To achieve that in less then 10 years after we put our minds to it was remarkable. At that rate we should have warp drive by now, cruising through wormholes into other dimensions. Branson could have a 4 Seasons on Mars with day trips to the moons of Saturn.
Instead, the SJWs of day and their fucking bitching about how that money could be better spent on social horseshit put the brakes on that.
Nice job assholes. And needless to say, your demands know no limits. And produce only more misery. Great payoff.
Just think if $150 Billion dollars wasn’t given to Iran to fund world-wide terrorism we would be going to a white asteroid.
Andromeda strain?
I hope this ends as bad as the other movies that start like this.
👽
I’ve said this before, but will repeat: I will never forgive Obama for what he did to NASA. My heart broke the day the last shuttle landed.
God damn Obama, his handlers and everyone who hates America.
@B Woodman: I wasn’t aware that attempting to make a funny remark was committing NASA blasphemy. However, in the spirit of today’s political correctness, let me assure the victims of my ill-considered comment that there was absolutely no intent on my part to demean, degrade, denigrate, or defenestrate any person or animal, living or dead, and that they may all come out of their safe spaces now.
Sheesh.
@Claudia: Well said. And history will remember, too.
Is this target for gathering samples the infamous Planet X nearby?
” a new asstoride.”
Reminds me, it’s Friday!
MM: “I remember the feminist whining mantra from that time all too well. “Let’s fix our problems down he-rre fir-rrst”
Any musselmens on board?
And Claudia and VV, don’t forget, two of those shuttles ended up as spectacular fireworks displays with the total loss of two full crews. It was time. Hate them for dithering on Orion. Dammit, we should have set foot on Mars 15-20 years ago.
Bring me back a space pizza. I’ll tip ya.
@Gojira: Back in the 50’s everyone knew that by the turn of the century, we would all be taking tourist trips to the moon, and maybe even visiting our colonies on Mars and Venus, too (much was unknown about the actual conditions on those planets at the time, of course). Unfortunately, not everyone shared that vision, and the public lost interest in space exploration after the moon landings. It actually happened long before the Obama Administration came along, but it’s even worse now. We used to be a nation of dreamers and adventurers. Now we’re a nation of moneygrubbers and whiners. Something needs to change and change soon.
P.S. – You’re right about the shuttles, but retiring them without a replacement was inexcusable. IMHO.
Nothing better than Self-Satisfaction.
It’s why Trump doesn’t bother spending $20 million to start “Get out the Vote” campaigns in battle ground states like Moskovitz and Steyer.
Who’s winning?
@VV Yeah, 2001, A Space Odyssey. Dr Floyd heading to the moon and riding the PanAm space clipper up to the big station in Earth orbit. We all just knew that was about to happen right down to the fembot stewardesses with goofy hats. Of course, there was a lot we “knew” back then. We seem to have substituted spacefaring for navel gazing while doing yoga and posting the vid to FB for no one to really care about. We’re earthbound but we’re complete. Sickening.
Crap if they wanted a handful of gravel all they had to do was send Obuttholes limo to my place with a pallet of greenbacks and gold and I would have filled their requisition and then some from the south 40 duck pond!!
WTF is this baloney about going to Mars.
Start with the moon. I was expecting to retire there, until the great stall. Now I’ll be lucky if some great nephew takes a teaspoon of my ashes up there.
On the moon you can watch in real time and rescue is two days away.
Here ya go, Lazlo:
http://everythingfunny.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/just-chilling-on-the-moon-when-shit.jpg
😛
Thank you, you pricks, NOW I’m song stuck and sleepless…https://youtu.be/mhZ2X9znPxM