Introduction
In recent years, NASA has embarked on a series of ambitious missions aimed at unravelling the mysteries of our solar system and beyond. One mission that has captured the imagination of scientists and space enthusiasts’ imaginations is the collection and return of asteroid samples. NASA’s dedication to exploring these celestial bodies offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into the formation and evolution of our solar system
NASA’s Asteroids Sample Missions
NASA’s dedication to understanding asteroids has led to several milestone missions. Notably, the OSIRIS-Rex (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security–Regolith Explorer) mission and the Hayabusa2 mission, conducted in collaboration with Japan’s space agency JAXA, have successfully collected samples from two different asteroids: Bennu and Ryugu, respectively.
OSIRIS-REx asteroid’s mission
This asteroid was launched in September 2016 and travelled to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. After meticulously studying Bennu’s surface for over two years, the spacecraft successfully collected a sample in October 2020.
The gumdrop-shaped capsule, released from the robotic spacecraft OSIRIS-REx as the mothership passed within 108,000km (67,000 miles) of Earth hours earlier, touched down within a designated landing zone west of Salt Lake City on the United States military’s vast Utah Test and Training Range on 24 September 2023, Sunday.
The sample from Bennu, which is about 8.8 ounces or 250 grams, will be flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on September 25th. At the center, scientists will carefully open the container and take out the sample. They will weigh it, make a list of all the rocks and dust inside, and eventually share parts of it with scientists from all around the world. Scientists estimated the capsule holds at least a cup of rubble from the carbon-rich asteroid known as Bennu but won’t know for sure until the container is opened.
The significance of these missions lies in their potential to answer fundamental questions about our solar system and the origins of life.
“Congratulations to the OSIRIS-REx team on a picture-perfect mission – the first American asteroid sample return in history – which will deepen our understanding of the origin of our solar system and its formation. Not to mention, Bennu is a potentially hazardous asteroid, and what we learn from the sample will help us better understand the types of asteroids that could come our way,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
NASA’s asteroid sample return missions represent a significant step forward in our search to understand the cosmos.
To learn more about the asteroid sample recovery mission visit: nasa.gov
