Sample of Empire State Building-sized asteroid is set to crash down in US desert

A capsule containing asteroid samples from an asteroid that is around the same size as the Empire State building is set to return to Earth.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx - which stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer - capsule was fired off into space back in 2016 to collect material from an asteroid called Bennu.

A capsule that collected almost nine ounces of rocks, dust and space-dirt from the asteroid is set to land back on the planet on Sunday (24 September).

It will land in the desert in Utah, at the Defense Department's Test and Training Range, where it will be met by teams from both the US space agency and Lockheed Martin, the company that built the vehicle.

The mission will help experts gain potentially important insights into how life began.

Professor Dante Lauretta told BBC: "We're trying to piece together our beginnings. How did the Earth form and why is it a habitable world? Where did the oceans get their water; where did the air in our atmosphere come from; and most importantly, what is the source of the organic molecules that make up all life on Earth?"

NASA

The material could also provide NASA with more information about asteroids that could come into contact with our planet.

Which could be pretty vital information because scientists have determined there's a 1-in-2,700 chance that Bennu will impact Earth between the years of 2175 and 2199, so while it's fairly good odds, it's probably still something to be aware of.

Explaining what scientists hoped to gain from the samples, OSIRIS-REx’s deputy project manager Doctor Michael Moreau said: “Just from a general perspective, any time that we can explore a new world and see what it looks like and see what surprises it has in store for us, that’s an amazing moment of discovery.

NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

"It's like hiking to the top of a ridge and that moment of seeing the landscape on the other side for the first time. There’s an excitement about exploration that is very much part of space exploration.

“Why we chose Bennu in particular, it’s a specific kind of asteroid that we believe is made up of material dating to the very formation of our solar system. The material that will be returned is unique relative to anything in the existing meteorite collection, and scientists all over the world are preparing to study the material and are excited to see what surprises it will have in store.”