NASA

Silicon Valley Tech Boosting NASA's Asteroid Mission

It has everything, except Ben Affleck: A trip to an asteroid, an $800 million budget, five million miles of travel, and Silicon Valley tech along for the ride.

NASA successfully launched a rocket that, if all goes as planned, will end up on an asteroid called Bennu.

The goal is to scoop up a little of Bennu’s surface, which is said to possibly contain some of the same building blocks as the Earth.

Milpitas-based Viavi is providing an optical filter, to help NASA analyze what’s on Bennu’s surface.

“The end goal is to really understand the origins of human life as well as the universe itself,” said Viavi’s spokesman Sinclair Vass.

An ambitious project, with a little piece of the Bay Area on board.

Scott blasts on Twitter: @scottbudman

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