Legendary musician and astrophysicist Brian May of Queen fame has played a pivotal role in a NASA mission to bring the largest asteroid sample ever back to Earth. His expertise in stereoscopy, which uses two-dimensional images to generate a three-dimensional view, was critical in helping the spacecraft identify a sample site without any damage.
On September 24, NASA announced that a capsule containing 250g of dust and rocks from asteroid Bennu, part of their Osiris-Rex mission, had safely landed in the desert in Utah. May and collaborator Claudia Manzoni had helped narrow the list of potential sample sites on Bennu.
In a video message, the guitarist expressed his pride in being part of such a monumental feat, saying, “I am immensely proud to be a team member of OSIRIS-REx. I can’t be with you today, I wish I could but I am rehearsing for a Queen tour, but my heart is there with you as this precious sample is recovered. Happy sample return day and congratulations to all who worked so incredibly hard on this mission.”
The samples are expected to provide scientists with exciting information about the origins of life on Earth. May has also been vocal about the increasing use of AI in music, which he described as “massively scary”. He admitted he was apprehensive and expressed his sadness about this.
It is no surprise that May’s diverse talents have helped him become a key part of this crucial mission. The world must now wait to see what incredible discoveries his contributions will yield.
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