Launch Planned For 2016, With Samples Returning In 2023

NASA's first mission to sample an asteroid is moving ahead into development and testing in preparation for its launch in 2016. The Origins-Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) passed a confirmation review Wednesday called Key Decision Point (KDP)-C. NASA officials reviewed a series of detailed project assessments and authorized the spacecraft's continuation into the development phase.

Company Develops Technology To Enable Microgravity-Based Life Sciences Research

The Bionetics Corporation, a diversified engineering and applied sciences company, is set to become the newest tenant of the Space Life Sciences Laboratory (SLSL) at the Kennedy Space Center, according to Space Florida, the state’s aerospace development organization and spaceport authority.

Previous Record Held By Lunar Rover Driven By Gene Cernan And Harrison Schmitt

While Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt visited Earth's moon for three days in December 1972, they drove their mission's Lunar Roving Vehicle 19.3 nautical miles. That was the farthest total distance for any NASA vehicle driving on a world other than Earth ... until Thursday.