The Journey Begins: NASA's Asteroid-Sampling Probe Has a Long Path Ahead

The space probe left Earth last night (Sept. 8) when it successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral's Complex 41 in Florida, atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. OSIRIS-REx (which stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) catapulted into space at 7:05 p.m. EDT (2305 GMT) yesterday, the first extraterrestrial step in its voyage to the asteroid Bennu and back. "Tonight is a night for celebration," NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan sa