NASA’s Osiris-Rex Successfully Returns Asteroid Sample to Earth: A Piece of Solar System History
In a groundbreaking achievement, NASA’s Osiris-Rex probe has successfully returned a sample from the asteroid Bennu back to Earth. This remarkable feat marks the first time an asteroid sample has been brought back to our planet in NASA’s history, and it may also be the largest sample ever collected. The capsule containing the precious cargo is set to land in the Utah desert, while the probe itself remains on standby for future missions and research.
Describing the landing of the capsule, NASA Administrator Rich Burns compares it to playing darts on a basketball court. The probe, Osiris-Rex, will release the sample from an altitude of approximately 102,000 kilometers over the Utah desert on Sunday, September 24. After entering the Earth’s atmosphere, the capsule will be protected by a heat shield and will land with the aid of parachutes in an area measuring around 58 x 14 kilometers. Burns likens this precision landing to hitting the bullseye on the other side of a basketball court with a dart.
The capsule is estimated to contain around 250 grams of dust and debris collected from Bennu, enclosed within a 46-kilogram, 81-centimeter diameter container that resembles a salad bowl with a high lid. While there have been previous missions to asteroids, such as the Japanese space probe Hayabusa in 2005, which brought back soil samples in 2010, NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission represents the first successful return of material from an asteroid to Earth.
The sampling process itself, performed by the Osiris-Rex probe in October 2020, was a complex and awe-inspiring maneuver that took several hours. The probe approached Bennu within a few meters, temporarily leaving its orbit around the asteroid. Using a robotic arm, it gently touched the asteroid’s surface for about five seconds and expelled pressurized nitrogen to stir up and collect the sample material.
Despite encountering some challenges during the sampling process, such as larger rocks opening the lid of the collection container and causing some material to escape, NASA scientists are confident that there is still sufficient material for examination.
Once the capsule lands, the sample will be transported to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for detailed examination. Bennu, named after an ancient Egyptian god, has a diameter of approximately 550 meters and could potentially come close to Earth in 150 years. Though the risk of collision is extremely low, NASA considers Bennu one of the most dangerous known asteroids, emphasizing the need for extensive research.
Scientists hope that the Osiris-Rex mission, with a budget of about $1 billion, will provide valuable insights into the formation of the solar system over 4.5 billion years ago, as asteroids like Bennu are remnants of that early period. NASA’s next probe, Psyche, is scheduled to launch to an asteroid in early October.
After completing its mission with Bennu, the Osiris-Rex probe is already preparing for its next assignment. It will be directed towards the asteroid Apophis, with plans for a flyby in 2029 when it comes within approximately 32,000 kilometers of Earth. This will allow scientists to study Apophis up close for the first time. The subsequent mission has been named Osiris-Apex.
NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission has achieved a significant milestone by successfully returning an asteroid sample to Earth. With its groundbreaking scientific contributions and ongoing exploration of asteroids, NASA continues to expand our understanding of the solar system and the origins of our universe.
