Scientists at the United States space agency NASA found "black dust and debris" when they opened the space capsule that recently returned to Earth with the largest asteroid sample ever brought back from space. NASA said on Tuesday that researchers discovered "dust and debris on the avionics deck of the Osiris-REx science canister when the initial lid was removed today". The space agency did not specify whether the materials discovered on opening the lid of the probe definitely belonged to the asteroid, though NASA said on social media that "scientists gasped as the lid was lifted from the [Osiris-REx] asteroid sample return canister". "A scientific treasure box," NASA Astromaterials said in a social media post. "Dark powder and sand-sized particles" were found on "the inside of the lid and base", NASA said.

Three astronauts have landed back on Earth after nearly six months on board the International Space Station. A Russian Soyuz capsule containing Nasa's Randy Bresnik, Russia's Sergey Ryazanskiy and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency descended under a red-and-white parachute and landed on schedule at 2:37pm local time on the vast steppes outside of a remote town in Kazakhstan. The three were extracted from the capsule within 20 minutes and appeared to be in good condition. The spacecraft brought back Randy Bresnik from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Sergey Ryazanskiy from Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Italy's Paolo Nespoli with the European Space Agency. The capsule landed in the windswept and snow-covered steppe in Kazakhstan's central Karaganda region at 2.37 p.m. (0837 GMT).