Youre very welcome. We begin with a Space Mission that could help explain the origins of Life On Earth. A Nasa Capsule Containing Rock and dust from the surface of an asteroid has successfully touched down in the utah desert. Its the largest ever sample from an asteroid that has made it to earth, and its an achievement nearly 20 years in the making. American scientists first pitched the idea to nasa in 2004. It wasnt until their third attempt in 2011 that the project was finally approved by nasa. 5 years later in 2016, scientists launched 0siris rex into space. On december 3, 2018, the capsule arrived at asteroid bennu. 0siris rex collected a sample from bennu in october of 2020. Then on may 10, 2021, 0siris rex began itsjourney Back To Earth leading us to this weekends events. On sunday, it successfully landed back here on earth. Recovery teams are now assessing the capsule� s condition, before transporting it to clean rooms near salt lake city. It will be disassembled there, and the samples flown to houston for analysis. Scientists hope they can shed new light on how planets were formed and how life arose billions of years ago. 0ur science editor, rebecca morelle, reports. It has entered the earths atmosphere. A first glimpse of the capsule after its epicjourney through space. We have confirmed parachute deployment. High up in the atmosphere, a parachute opens, slowing its descent. Touchdown it has touched down. A Textbook Landing in the middle of the utah desert. For the team who have spent decades working on the 0siris rex mission, its an emotional moment. How did it go . It went absolutely perfectly. Perfect landing, we didnt move, we landed on nice, soft soil. The capsule looked flawless. I cried like a baby in the helicopter when i heard the parachute was open. It was an overwhelming moment for me. Inside the capsule is the most precious sample, fragments of an asteroid called bennu, that could reveal the story of our solar system. The team quickly secures the craft, to prevent any contamination, and attach it to a 30 metre line slung beneath the helicopter. This is the moment that nasa has been waiting for. After seven long years, travelling billions of miles to bennu and back, the capsule is finally here. The priority now is getting out of the dusty desert environment, and into the safe and sterile clean room as quickly as possible. A quick knock to say they have arrived, and the capsule is in. The painstaking and meticulous process begins. They need to remove the layers like a russian doll, to get to the dust and rocks inside. The whole procedure will take weeks. So, why all this effort . Bennu tops the list of nasas most hazardous space rocks, so studying its make up could help us to stop it if we ever need to. It could also reveal more about our origins. Its a perfectly preserved relic from the dawn of the solar system. Its going to keep scientists busy for a long time. One of the most important parts of a Sample Return Mission is we take 75 of the sample and we are going to lock it away for future generations. People who havent even been born yet, to work in laboratories that dont exist yet, and instrumentation you have not thought of yet. So it is an incredibly valuable sample we are bringing back. Scientists think they have a Treasure Trove on their hands, one that includes Extraterrestrial Material unlike anything we have seen on earth before. Rebecca morelle, bbc news, utah. That some more from rebecca on what The Next Step will be now that scientists have been reunited with 0siris rex. Such a big moment for nasa. Really delighted with what they have back so far. The s in the cleanroom here, kept in a stable environment to try to keep the precious sample of bennu away from dust and grime and dirt of the desert. That is really important. The next stage of the mission involves this here. This big military cargo plane. What is going to happen . You have the capital and inside it is a canister and inside that an asteroid sample. They will remove the outer layer, the Capsule Layer and fill out a way. The canister will be packaged up and put on board this plane and flown to the johnson board this plane and flown to theJohnson Space centre in houston, texas. There scientists are eagerly awaiting for the really exciting bit. 0pening it up to see exactly what is inside. Now, properly collecting every grain is going to take some time, but the signs will start really quickly actually and scientists think they will have their first results possibly around the middle of october. I guess the Big Question Is, why have they gone to all of this trouble . Why study the asteroid known as bennu . The first reason is a big ones, the asteroid tops the list of nasas most dangerous space rock. There is a small but significant chance of it hitting the earth in the next 300 years. If you want to find a way of stopping that the best way is to find out what the asteroid is made of, to learn about it. The second reason though, this asteroid is a relic from the earliest formation of our solar system, 4. 5 formation of our solar system, 11. 5 billion years ago. And change for all this time. A bit like a time cat delma capps also cited want to study this to learn about how the solar system formed and even why the earth is like it is, why it is habitable. There is a theory that perhaps abe asteroid delivered the molecules required for Life On Earth to start here. The only way you can answer these huge questions is to actually get your gloved hands on the sample and that is what is going to be the exciting next stage of this mission. Lets hear some more about that exciting next stage of this mission. Joining me now isjustin filiberto, hes nasas branch chief of the Research Office within the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at theJohnson Space center. Thank you so much forjoining us, justin. Thank you so much for joining us, justin. How difficult a mission was this . All Space Missions are incredibly difficult but usually they are 1 way we are sending robots and orbiters and landers and to other planetary bodies. In this case we had to send the spacecraft to bennu, collect samples on this very small asteroid, avoid any of the large rocks, put those samples in the canister, seal it off and bring those back and have a nearly perfect touchdown in utah earlier today. I am always amazed at what engineers make work, look so easy. Absolutely. Now, The Next Step is to get this back to you guys in houston and open it up. What in houston and open it up. What will happen in houston and open it up. What will happen then . In houston and open it up. wriat will happen then . Tomorrow, this will get on military plan, plane and come to we have a clean room dedicated for this to walk into. So our duration staff will walk it into the clean room and will decontaminate it and make sure there is no utah dust and then, onceit there is no utah dust and then, once it is clear two it will go into the specially built clean room for the 0siris rex collection. 0nce room for the 0siris rex collection. Once it is up there it has different glove boxes that decorators can work on and start peeling back the canister. They can start collecting the sample that is inside. , , inside. This is the biggest sam le inside. This is the biggest sample ever inside. This is the biggest sample ever collected inside. This is the biggest| sample ever collected and inside. This is the biggest sample ever collected and the third one only ever return to earth. What are you hoping to find, what could it tell us about the origins of life . 50. About the origins of life . So, we know about the origins of life . So, we know that about the origins of life . So, we know that there about the origins of life . Srr, we know that there is about the origins of life . S57, we know that there is organics, we know that there is organics, we know that there is organics, we know there is water, so the question is what types of organic . What types of material are there . What types of Building Blocks of life . What minerals are there . What is the water validating, could that be similar to the water that ended up similar to the water that ended up helping make our oceans. Those other pieces we will be pulling apart as we go forward and start picking apart every grain in the sample. find and start picking apart every grain in the sample. And how lona grain in the sample. And how long could grain in the sample. And how long could it grain in the sample. And how long could it take grain in the sample. And how long could it take to grain in the sample. And how long could it take to find grain in the sample. And how long could it take to find the | long could it take to find the answers to some of those very profound questions . Answers to some of those very profound questions . Well, were auoin to profound questions . Well, were going to start profound questions . Well, were going to start as profound questions . Well, were going to start as soon profound questions . Well, were going to start as soon as profound questions . Well, were going to start as soon as we going to start as soon as we can and we will be looking at these samples for decades. If we go back to the apollo collections, they were collected well before my lifetime and we are still picking apart those samples and learning new things. These will be studied for decades to come. And, as we heard in rebeccas reported earlier, some of these samples will be stored away and technologies that have not even been invented yet will be used on them. ,. , been invented yet will be used on them. ,. , on them. Correct. So as part of our duration on them. Correct. So as part of our duration in on them. Correct. So as part of our duration in terms on them. Correct. So as part of our duration in terms too our duration in terms too Johnson Space centre, some of the samples are kept separate and it is the pristine samples that are kept under nitrogen purged to make sure that our atmosphere and our humidity and our temperature in houston do not interact with the rocks and we keep them as pristine as possible for future generations. Possible for future uenerations. ,. , generations. Could there be any livin generations. Could there be any Living Organisms generations. Could there be any Living Organisms on generations. Could there be any Living Organisms on this Living Organisms on this sample . Living organisms on this sample . Living organisms on this samle . , ~ , sample . Not likely. The sample, bennu, is small sample . Not likely. The sample, bennu, is small and sample . Not likely. The sample, bennu, is small and dust sample . Not likely. The sample, bennu, is small and dust with. Bennu, is small and dust with radiation and does not have an atmosphere. So there is no chance for life to surface. The asteroid that chance for life to surface. The asteroid that the chance for life to surface. The asteroid that the sample was taken from, as you say, bennu, passes close to the earth every six years or so. What is the likelihood of it ever hitting this planet . It likelihood of it ever hitting this planet . This planet . It is classified as a potential this planet . It is classified as a potential hazardous i as a potential hazardous asteroid and is one of the reasons we went to investigate it. The chances small it is not zero. So it is one on nasas radar that we track to either make that chance zero or investigate what that chance really is. If investigate what that chance reall is. ,. , really is. If the asteroid were to hit earth, really is. If the asteroid were to hit earth, what really is. If the asteroid were to hit earth, what with really is. If the asteroid were to hit earth, what with the i to hit earth, what with the impact be there, because it is relatively small, i believe. It relatively small, i believe. It depends on where it hits, but, yes, it is small so that will help it not because anything too drastic. We are not looking at a depth of the dinosaurs type of asteroid impact. Well, that is good type of asteroid impact. Well, that is good to type of asteroid impact. Well, that is good to know. Type of asteroid impact. Well, that is good to know. What i type of asteroid impact. Well, l that is good to know. What next for the main part of the osirisrex for the main part of the 0siris Rex Spacecraft . What is its next mission . Osirisrex spacecraft . What is its next mission . Its next mission . Osirisrex is now called its next mission . Osirisrex is now called osirisrex its next mission . Osirisrex is| now called osirisrex impacts. Now called 0siris rex impacts. It is off to another asteroid. The asteroid named up office which is another potentially hazardous asteroid and so it is planning to arrive at that asteroid in 2029 to do an investigation with the instruments on board the spacecraft. Instruments on board the spacecraft instruments on board the spacecraft. Instruments on board the sacecraft. �. , , spacecraft. And would they be an expectation spacecraft. And would they be an expectation to spacecraft. And would they be an expectation to get spacecraft. And would they be an expectation to get a spacecraft. And would they be | an expectation to get a sample from that went Back To Earth as well . ~. , ,. ,. , well . We only brought one samle well . We only brought one sample canister well . We only brought one Sample Canister Back well . We only brought one Sample Canister Back with l well . We only brought one i Sample Canister Back with us when we went and that one has the samples with it on earth now. It the samples with it on earth now. , the samples with it on earth now. , , now. It has been used, well len now. It has been used, well plenty of now. It has been used, well plenty of investigations now. It has been used, well plenty of investigations to l plenty of investigations to come and plenty of interesting discoveries no doubt still ahead. Thank you so much for joining us. Its sunday evening here in washington, normally a quiet time in the halls of power, but not tonight. 0n capitol hill, lawmakers are in crunch talks to avoid a government shutdown, due to happen injust seven days time. That is a live shock of the capital where the late night oil is surely burning. Shot the republicans, who hold a slim majority in the house of representatives, are at a deadlock, with members on the right of the party demanding wide ranging spending cuts. Time appears to have run out to pass all the bills necessary in time for the start of the new fiscal year, on october 1. The question now is whether lawmakers can pass a Stopgap Measure to buy more time. If they dont succeed, all non essential functions of the federal govenrment would shut down, with nonessential workers placed on furlough. The last shutdown, between December 2018 and january 2019, lastest 35 days, the longest ever in us history. Republican House Speaker kevin mccarthy, has not ruled out avoiding the shutdown by making a deal with democratic lawmakers. But conservative republicans have threatened to oust him as speaker if he does so. The Biden Administration has been attacking republicans over the looming shutdown. Heres secretary of transportation, pete buttigieg, speaking to cnn earlier. A shutdown would include just in the Transportation Side alone, shutting down air Traffic Control trainers. That is what example of a shutdown that would mean servicemembers would not get paid, coming back to transportation, the air Traffic Controllers who would be working on the tales would not be getting paid. They are under enough stress as it is doing thejob under enough stress as it is doing the job without having to come into the two work with the added stress of not receiving a paycheck. The senate is ready to go, the Administration Ready to go, the Administration Ready to go, the Administration Ready to go, House Republicans need to go, House Republicans need to come to their senses and keep the government running. And in the next hour, ill be speaking with a republican lawmaker who says there is, quote, no doubt in his mind that the us is heading for a shutdown. President Emmanuel Macron says france will end its Military Presence in niger, removing its 1,500 troops stationed there by the end of this year. In a televised interview, macron announced plans to withdraw the french ambassador and several other diplomats from niger within hours, followed by its Military Contingent in the coming months. It comes in the wake of a military coup injuly, that saw the ousting of the countrys pro paris president. Macon has refused to recognise the junta as nigers legitimate authority but said paris would coordinate the troop withdrawal with the coup leaders. Translation france has decided to brin translation france has decided to bring back translation france has decided to bring back its translation france has decided to bring back its ambassador to bring back its ambassador and so coming hours, alabaster, and so coming hours, alabaster, and several diplomats, will return to france and we are lending our ability to cooperation to the effect of authorities to niger because they no longer wa