Osiris Lands on Asteroid and Returns to Earth with its findings!!
OSIRIS-REx represents NASA's pioneering mission aimed at returning samples from an asteroid. It commenced its journey in September 2016, embarking on an exploration of the near-Earth asteroid known as Bennu. After its arrival in 2018, the spacecraft dedicated nearly two years to orbiting Bennu, meticulously mapping and studying its rugged terrain, all in pursuit of its primary scientific mission.
On October 20, 2020, OSIRIS-REx embarked on a daring maneuver, navigating through a challenging landscape of jagged rocks and towering boulders on Bennu's northern hemisphere. It achieved a remarkable feat by extending its arm into the loose surface, successfully excavating six tons of debris and collecting approximately 250 grams of invaluable material.
Following this remarkable accomplishment, OSIRIS-REx secured its precious cargo within its sample return capsule. In May 2021, the spacecraft bid a fond farewell to Bennu, embarking on an arduous 1.2-billion-mile journey back to Earth. Along the way, it meticulously adjusted its course through a series of controlled engine burns. Now, after two years and four months since departing Bennu, OSIRIS-REx is approaching the point where its extraordinary odyssey commenced.
SAMPLE RETURN SEQUENCE
On September 24, the spacecraft will draw close to Earth, reaching a distance of nearly 63,000 miles. At precisely 4:42 AM Mountain Time, it will power up and release its sample return capsule. This crucial action must occur within a narrow window of opportunity and at a precise angle to ensure the capsule hits its designated target—an area spanning approximately 250 square miles in Utah's West Desert. Once the capsule is away, OSIRIS-REx will engage its thrusters to avoid any collision with our planet.
At 8:42 AM, the capsule will hurtle into Earth's atmosphere at a breathtaking speed of 27,000 miles per hour. It will streak across the western United States, its reentry generating intense heat that will be tracked by ground-based infrared sensors.
As it penetrates deeper into the atmosphere, the capsule will rapidly decelerate, subjecting the precious Bennu samples to a staggering force of 32 G's. About two minutes after entry, its velocity will decrease to Mach 1.4, allowing it to deploy its drogue parachute, thereby stabilizing its descent.
After retrieval by ground teams, the Bennu samples will be transported to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. There, the sample container will be opened within the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Facility, marking the beginning of a decades-long process of curation, distribution, and comprehensive scientific study.
JOURNEY TO APOPHIS
With its precious cargo safely delivered, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's remarkable journey will continue. Rebranded as OSIRIS-APEX, it will embark on a daring encore performance, entering an elliptical orbit around the Sun. This orbit will take it within the inner bounds of Venus's orbit, pushing the spacecraft to its thermal limits. Commencing in 2029, OSIRIS-APEX will undertake an extraordinary mission to track down and study Apophis—a stony asteroid measuring 1,200 feet in diameter and destined for an exceptionally close encounter with Earth.
After thirteen years of traversing the depths of space, as a new decade begins, OSIRIS-APEX finds itself alone in an uncharted realm. And so, the journey continues, marking another remarkable chapter in the annals of space exploration.
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Dan Gallagher: Producer/Narrator
Walt Feimer: Animation Lead
Michael Lentz: Art Director/Animator
Jonathan North: Animator
Jenny McElligott: Animator
Adriana Manrique Gutierrez: Animator
Kim Dongjae: Animator
Angeles Miron: Animator
Josh Masters: Animator
Kel Elkins: Data Visualizer
Dante Lauretta: Scientist
Jason Dworkin: Scientist
Support: Michael Starobin
Support: Lonnie Shekhtman
Support: Chris Meaney
Support: Ernie Wright
Public Affairs: Rani Gran
Music: “A Sense of Urgency” and “Rise to the Challenge” by Daniel Marantz and Michael James Burns, Raydia Music library [PRS]; “Fragments of Time” by Timothy Robert Shortell, Scores of Hypersonic Music [BMI]
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