OSIRIS-REx (Picture of the Day: 1/3/13)

OSIRIS-REx. Source

NASA is planning on reaching a nearby asteroid by 2020. The spacecraft for this mission, deemed OSIRIS-REx (Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer), will travel to RQ36 and do several tests before taking back a 2 ounce sample of the object. The project is expensive, but there is a lot to learn from it.

If you want to know more, consider going to the mission's website here, or read a cool article here.