After years of eager anticipation
and diligent effort by NASA's OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation,
Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer) team, a capsule
containing rocks and dust gathered from asteroid Bennu has finally made its
return to Earth. The successful landing occurred at 8:52 a.m. MDT (10:52 a.m.
EDT) on a Sunday, precisely in the targeted region of the Department of
Defense's Utah Test and Training Range near Salt Lake City.
Within just ninety minutes, the capsule was swiftly transported by
helicopter to a temporary sterile chamber set up inside a hangar on the
training range. Here, it is currently being subjected to a continuous flow of
nitrogen.
The introduction of a "nitrogen purge," as scientists
term it, was a pivotal step for the OSIRIS-REx team today. Nitrogen, being a
gas that doesn't chemically interact with most substances, will maintain the
sample's purity by preventing any terrestrial contaminants from entering the
sample container inside the capsule.
The samples retrieved from Bennu will offer invaluable insights to
scientists worldwide, aiding in their quest to better comprehend the formation
of planets and the origins of organic materials and water that contributed to
life on Earth. Additionally, this knowledge will benefit humanity by enhancing
our understanding of potentially hazardous asteroids.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson extended his congratulations to the
OSIRIS-REx team for successfully executing this historic mission, the first
American asteroid sample return ever accomplished. He underscored the
significance of this achievement in deepening our understanding of the solar
system's origin and formation. Moreover, he emphasized the importance of studying
Bennu, a potentially dangerous asteroid, to better prepare for possible
asteroid impacts.
The Bennu sample, estimated to be around 8.8 ounces (250 grams),
will be flown in its sealed canister to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston
on Monday, September 25. There, curation scientists will disassemble the
canister, extract and weigh the sample, document the composition of the rocks
and dust, and eventually distribute fragments of Bennu to scientists around the
world.
Today's successful delivery of an asteroid sample, a first for the
United States, unfolded according to plan thanks to the collective efforts of
hundreds of individuals who remotely guided the spacecraft throughout its
journey. This journey began with its launch on September 8, 2016, followed by
its arrival at Bennu on December 3, 2018, and the meticulous search for a safe
site for sample collection between 2019 and 2020. The sample collection itself
took place on October 20, 2020, and the return journey commenced on May 10,
2021.
Dante Lauretta, the principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx at the
University of Arizona, Tucson, celebrated this achievement as an extraordinary
milestone not only for the OSIRIS-REx team but for the entire scientific
community. He emphasized that this accomplishment exemplifies what can be
achieved through collaborative ingenuity and a shared purpose. Lauretta also
noted that this event marks the beginning of a new chapter, as scientists now
have the unprecedented opportunity to analyze these samples and delve deeper
into the mysteries of our solar system.
Having traveled billions of miles to Bennu and back, the
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft released its sample capsule towards Earth's atmosphere at
6:42 a.m. EDT (4:42 a.m. MDT). At that time, the spacecraft was approximately
63,000 miles (102,000 kilometers) from Earth's surface, roughly one-third the
distance between Earth and the Moon.
The capsule descended at a velocity of 27,650 mph (44,500 kph) and
entered Earth's atmosphere at 10:42 a.m. EDT (8:42 a.m. MDT), ultimately
landing off the coast of California at an altitude of about 83 miles (133
kilometers). During the descent, two parachutes were deployed successfully,
stabilizing and decelerating the capsule to a gentle speed of 11 mph (18 kph)
upon touchdown.
Rich Burns, the project manager for OSIRIS-REx at NASA's Goddard
Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, described the day as a nail-biting
but highly anticipated event for the team. He likened it to a critical moment
in the World Series, and he commended the team for their successful execution
of the mission.
The capsule's landing coordinates were meticulously tracked using
radar, infrared, and optical instruments both in the air and on the ground,
ensuring it landed within a designated area of 36 miles by 8.5 miles (58
kilometers by 14 kilometers) on the range. Within minutes, a recovery team was
dispatched to inspect and retrieve the capsule, confirming it to be in
excellent condition at 9:07 a.m. MDT (11:07 a.m. EDT). Subsequently, it was
securely packaged for transport to a temporary sterile chamber on the range,
where it remains under continuous supervision and nitrogen purging.
The OSIRIS-REx mission is managed by NASA Goddard, which oversees
overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission
assurance. The University of Arizona, Tucson, leads the science team and
manages science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space
in Littleton, Colorado, was responsible for building the spacecraft and
provides flight operations support. NASA Goddard and KinetX Aerospace handle
navigation for the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, while the curation process, including
sample processing upon arrival on Earth, will take place at NASA Johnson.
International collaborations for this mission include the OSIRIS-REx Laser
Altimeter instrument from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and asteroid sample
science collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Hayabusa2 mission. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers
Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama,
for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
To learn more about the OSIRIS-REx Visit:
https://manotechhub.blogspot.com/2023/09/osiris-rex-mission-nasa.html
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