publish time

26/09/2023

author name Arab Times

publish time

26/09/2023

Brian May

NEW YORK, Sept 26, (Agencies): Brian May, the renowned Queen lead guitarist at the age of 76, has played a significant role in facilitating the return of NASA's historic asteroid sample from space. In a recent appearance on NASA TV, May disclosed his involvement as part of the team responsible for the collection of samples from the asteroid known as Bennu and its subsequent journey back to Earth.

As reported, May expressed his pride in being a member of the OSIRIS-REx mission, whose spacecraft made a crucial flyby of Earth on the same Sunday. This mission carried forward the legacy initiated seven years earlier when the spacecraft ventured into space to gather samples from Bennu.

In a clip released by NASA TV, May greeted NASA personnel, space enthusiasts, and asteroid enthusiasts, introducing himself as Brian May from Queen, but also emphasizing his immense pride in being a part of the OSIRIS-REx team.

According to the same source, May collaborated with mission leader Dante Lauretta by creating stereoscopic images from the spacecraft's data to identify the optimal location for collecting the sample.

May also celebrated this achievement on his website, stating, "Today marks the long-awaited moment when a sample of material from Bennu, the asteroid most likely to impact Earth in the future, is safely recovered on our planet. This precious cargo, once opened, holds the potential to unveil profound secrets about the origins of the universe, our planet, and life itself."

The capsule containing fragments of asteroid Bennu was safely parachuted into the Utah Test and Training Range in Utah's West Desert after re-entering Earth's atmosphere, as reported. The collected sample is now destined for Houston's Johnson Space Center, where it will undergo thorough analysis.

While May takes great pride in the successful recovery of the asteroid sample, he maintains reservations about the impact of certain technologies on the music industry. Earlier this month, the iconic rocker expressed his concerns about the growing influence of artificial intelligence in music. May shared his apprehension that in the near future, it may become increasingly difficult to distinguish music created by humans from music generated by AI. He went on to suggest that 2023 could potentially mark a pivotal year where humans may no longer dominate the music scene.