{"id":17260,"date":"2023-09-25T00:07:07","date_gmt":"2023-09-24T16:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasas-osiris-rex-probe-delivers-sample-of-asteroid-and-moves-on-to-next-target\/"},"modified":"2023-09-25T00:07:07","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T16:07:07","slug":"nasas-osiris-rex-probe-delivers-sample-of-asteroid-and-moves-on-to-next-target","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasas-osiris-rex-probe-delivers-sample-of-asteroid-and-moves-on-to-next-target\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s OSIRIS-REx probe delivers sample of asteroid \u2014 and moves on to next target"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-osiris4-630x420.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-791509\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-osiris4-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-osiris4-1260x840.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-osiris4-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-osiris4-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-osiris4.jpg 2047w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lockheed Martin system safety engineer Victoria Theim checks out the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule after its Utah desert landing. (NASA Photo \/ Keegan Barber)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Seven years and 4 billion miles after its launch, NASA\u2019s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has successfully dropped off a capsule containing a precious sample of one near-Earth asteroid \u2014 and is now on course to rendezvous with another one in 2029.<\/p>\n<p>Rocket thrusters built at Aerojet Rocketdyne\u2019s facility in Redmond, Wash., have been guiding the bus-sized probe every step of the way.<\/p>\n<p>Today marked the climax of OSIRIS-REx \u2014 which stands for <strong>O<\/strong>rigins, <strong>S<\/strong>pectral <strong>I<\/strong>nterpretation, <strong>R<\/strong>esource <strong>I<\/strong>dentification and <strong>S<\/strong>ecurity-<strong>R<\/strong>egolith <strong>Ex<\/strong>plorer. The billion-dollar mission is designed to let scientists examine pristine stuff from a space rock that could shed light on the chemistry of the primordial solar system, and give them a better idea of the resources that could someday be gleaned from asteroids. <\/p>\n<p>The sample was blasted away from a 1,600-foot-wide asteroid called Bennu back in 2020, four years after the spacecraft\u2019s launch from Florida. Months later, the spacecraft began its two-year journey back toward Earth.<\/p>\n<p>When the probe came within 63,000 miles of Earth, it sent an 30-inch-wide capsule containing the sample on a trajectory that brought it down through the atmosphere hours later. <\/p>\n<p>The capsule took advantage of a heat shield to withstand temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during its 27,000 mph plunge. Then it deployed its parachute and floated down to a touchdown on the Defense Department\u2019s Utah Test and Training Range at 8:52 a.m. MT (7:52 a.m. PT).<\/p>\n<p>Dante Lauretta, the OSIRIS-REx mission\u2019s principal investigator, told reporters that he \u201cliterally broke into tears\u201d when he heard that the parachute had deployed as planned. \u201cThat was the moment I knew we made it home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Watch: NASA Osiris-REx Mission Brings Home Samples From Asteroid Bennu | WSJ News\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NUXee8fNqUY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>A recovery team rode helicopters out to the landing site and carefully secured the capsule for processing. The sample, which is thought to amount to as much as 8.8 ounces (250 grams) of asteroid rubble, is due to be flown to NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Texas on Monday for an initial round of study.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe real science is just beginning,\u201d Lauretta said.<\/p>\n<p>Eileen Stansbery, who\u2019s in charge of Johnson Space Center\u2019s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, said she expected more than 200 researchers on the mission\u2019s science team to start studying the material within the next few weeks. \u201cThese samples are an amazing treasure trove for generations,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Even as the capsule fell toward Earth, the OSIRIS-REx mothership fired its Aerojet-built thrusters to dodge the planet and get set for the journey to another asteroid called Apophis.<\/p>\n<p>Apophis grabbed the headlines years ago when initial observations of its orbit held out a slight chance of a collision. (Additional observations ruled out the threat.)<\/p>\n<p>The first maneuver toward Apophis is due to take place in a month. If all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will conduct an 18-month survey of the asteroid just after its close approach to Earth in April 2029. <\/p>\n<p>In recognition of the transition, the main spacecraft\u2019s mission has a new name: OSIRIS-APEX \u2014 with APEX standing for \u201cApophis Explorer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bill Cahill, Aerojet\u2019s OSIRIS-REx program manager, said the spacecraft\u2019s thruster system was critical to the mission\u2019s success. He highlighted the system\u2019s performance during the sample collection operation in 2020. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1706001252822184312&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2023%2Fnasa-osiris-rex-sample-asteroid%2F&amp;sessionId=4ae8a0d671c924394a9a98fa56697ac586aaa24a&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1706001252822184312\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782799382553167877=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Check out the first images from the landing of the #OSIRISREx sample return capsule containing rock and dust from asteroid Bennu at the @DeptofDefense&#8217;s Utah Test and Training Range. More \ud83d\udcf7 \u27a1\ufe0f https:\/\/t.co\/psoX8NcWOB pic.twitter.com\/GzoJAnIYIn<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NASA HQ PHOTO (@nasahqphoto) September 24, 2023<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s so little gravity around Bennu that even the smallest of pulses from a thruster would have a great impact on OSIRIS-REx\u2019s orbit around the asteroid,\u201d he said in a news release. \u201cThe thruster had to be highly specialized so we didn\u2019t throw the spacecraft out of orbit as the necessary maneuvers were conducted.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>By all accounts, the thrusters performed just as well today.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe complexity of the operation and our ability to provide thrusters that can be an integral part of maneuvers that help achieve science goals is incredibly rewarding,\u201d Cahill said. \u201cThe delivered regolith samples will teach us a phenomenal amount about the asteroid, and more importantly, the origins of our solar system, and this is something our entire team can be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>OSIRIS-REx follows up on earlier sample return missions \u2014 including Stardust, which brought back samples of cometary and interstellar dust in 2006 under the leadership of University of Washington astronomer Don Brownlee; and Hayabusa 1 and Hayabusa 2, a pair of Japanese missions that returned smaller samples of asteroids in 2010 and 2020.<\/p>\n<p>After today\u2019s touchdown, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson heralded OSIRIS-REx as the beginning of a new chapter in the study of near-Earth objects. \u201cThis mission proves that NASA does big things,\u201d he said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t \u2018Mission Impossible,\u2019 it was \u2018The Impossible Became Possible.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-cleanroom-630x420.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-791510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-cleanroom-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-cleanroom-1260x840.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-cleanroom-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-cleanroom-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/230924-cleanroom.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">The OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule is processed in a Utah clean room. (NASA Photo \/ Keegan Barber)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Chris Lewicki, who once served as the president and \u201cchief asteroid miner\u201d for Redmond-based Planetary Resources, said his heart was pounding as he watched the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule descend.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI look forward to the day when a human has taken a journey as long and interesting as the OSIRIS-REx capsule which has just returned to Earth,\u201d Lewicki said in a post to X \/ Twitter. \u201cThe human would be a better conversationalist. These samples will require some study to tell their tales.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Planetary Resources faded away in 2018 due to lack of funding, but Lewicki is still involved in the field of asteroid exploration. He\u2019s a member of the standing review board for NASA\u2019s Psyche mission, which is due to launch a probe toward a metal-rich asteroid named Psyche next month. He\u2019s also working on a project for the XPRIZE foundation that could result in the creation of a prize for orbital debris removal.<\/p>\n<p>Lewicki told GeekWire that analysis of the OSIRIS-REx sample could give scientists \u2014 and future asteroid miners \u2014 fresh clues as to the composition of carbonaceous asteroids, including the presence of hydrated minerals, silicates and metals that could help fuel a 21st-century space economy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the very stuff that we\u2019d be interested in,\u201d Lewicki said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lockheed Martin system safety engineer Victoria Theim checks out the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule after its Utah desert landing. (NASA Photo \/ Keegan Barber) Seven years and 4 billion miles after its launch, NASA\u2019s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has successfully dropped off a capsule containing a precious sample of one near-Earth asteroid \u2014 and is now on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[864,4365,1519,1526,190,1527],"class_list":["post-17260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-aerojet-rocketdyne","tag-asteroid","tag-asteroids","tag-bennu","tag-nasa","tag-osiris-rex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17260"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17260\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}