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Hello, asteroid Bennu

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission flew over two billion miles through space to meet you. Here, the spacecraft’s camera captures a full rotation of the asteroid from only about 50 miles away: https://go.nasa.gov/2rhr6a3&h=AT1i_D7IINmmgUy-jZJD7S-NBK6d4F…dBHOk_2iFA OSIRIS-REx will study Bennu for almost a year and eventually select a location to collect a sample to return to Earth. #WelcomeToBennu

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FAI Considers Lowering Boundary of Space

Well, there’s some great news for Virgin Galactic as it prepares for an attempt to send SpaceShipTwo to space. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which maintains records for aviation and spaceflight, is considering lowering the boundary of space from 100 to 80 km (62.1 to 47.7 miles).

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo probably can’t reach the 100 km boundary, which is also known as the Karman line.

FAI issued the following statement last week:

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We mourn the passing of former President George H.W. Bush, a leader who was a passionate advocate for space exploration

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine reflects on the former president’s contributions to our space program by saying, “The President noted it was humanity’s destiny to explore, and America’s destiny to lead. We salute this great American leader, who challenged us to chart a course for the future to benefit all humanity.”

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Russia Announces Plans to Establish Moon Colony by 2040

The first stage foresees the launch of a module to orbit the moon, the RBC news website reported, citing Nikolai Sevastyanov, the head of Russia’s TsNIIMash federal rocket and spaceсraft development corporation.

The second phase will reportedly involve sending the country’s first manned mission to the moon and starting construction of a long-term base between 2025 and 2034. The program’s third stage envisions the completion of the base’s construction by 2040 and the establishment of an “integrated manned moon exploration system.”

Construction of the moon colony is set to begin late in 2025, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited Yevgeny Mikrin, Russia’s chief designer of manned space programs, as saying during a presentation of the draft lunar program on Wednesday.

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