NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft perched atop an Atlas V rocket as it is prepared for launch on September 7th for a September 8th liftoff. OSIRIS-REx is on a 7-year journey to return a pristine sample from the asteroid Bennu. After arriving at Bennu in 2018, OSIRIS-REx will spend over a year exploring the asteroid before approaching its surface to grab a sample. Bennu was chosen due to its accessibility from Earth, size & carbon-rich composition. Researchers will be looking for amino acids, nucleic acids, & other building blocks of life in the asteroid sample. Credit: NASA #osirisrex #launch #asteroid #research #cool #ToBennuAndBack #atlasv