US spacecraft touches asteroid for rare rubble grab

The asteroid Bennu from the Osiris-Rex spacecraft (Nasa/Goddard/University of Arizona/CSA/York/MDA via AP)

A Nasa spacecraft has descended to an asteroid and, dodging boulders the size of buildings, momentarily touched the surface to collect a handful of cosmic rubble for return to Earth.

It was a first for the United States – only Japan has collected asteroid samples.