"That force, applied over millions of years, can literally move mountains of rock around, " Beshore said.

CNN: So, about that asteroid near Earth ...

The mission would further clarify the threat that this particular object poses, and better predict the orbits of other near-Earth asteroids, Beshore said.

CNN: So, about that asteroid near Earth ...

The effect is, at first glance, quite small -- Beshore cited his colleague Steven Chesley's comparison of this effect to the force you feel when you hold grapes in your hand.

CNN: So, about that asteroid near Earth ...

"This is going to be the largest sample of an extraterrestrial object returned to Earth since end of the Apollo missions over 40 years ago, " said Edward Beshore, deputy principal investigator for the mission, who is based at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

CNN: So, about that asteroid near Earth ...