NASA Successfully Retrieves Asteroid Sample, Opening Door to New Discoveries
After a seven-year journey, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has returned to Earth, bringing with it a sample of rocks and dirt from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. This historic feat marks the first time that NASA has collected a sample from an asteroid, and scientists are eager to study it to better understand the origins of our solar system.
The OSIRIS-REx mission, which stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer, was launched in 2016 and began orbiting Bennu in 2018. The spacecraft collected the sample in October 2020 and began its return trip to Earth in May 2021, traveling a total of 3.86 billion miles.
On Sunday, the spacecraft dropped the sample capsule from a distance of 63,000 miles above Earth’s surface before entering the planet’s atmosphere at a speed of about 27,650 miles per hour. Parachutes deployed to slow the capsule’s descent, and it touched down safely in Utah’s Test and Training Range at a speed of 11 miles per hour.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the OSIRIS-REx team, stating, “It brought something extraordinary, the largest asteroid sample ever received on Earth. This mission proves that NASA does big things, things that inspire us, things that unite us.”
The recovery and research teams quickly ensured that the capsule was not damaged during landing. They collected samples from the landing site, including air, dust, and dirt particles, to ensure that they don’t interfere with the analysis of the asteroid sample. The capsule was then transported to a temporary clean room, where it will undergo further examination and preparation for transport to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Scientists anticipate that the sample will provide valuable insights into the formation of our solar system. It could reveal information about the delivery of water and other elements to Earth during its early stages. Additionally, the sample will be divided and distributed to laboratories worldwide for further analysis.
While the initial analysis will be conducted in the coming days, the full examination of the sample will take up to two years. The scientists hope to uncover details about the presence of minerals and chemical elements within the sample.
The success of this mission opens the door to future missions and further exploration of asteroids. NASA has already set its sights on another asteroid named Apophis, and the OSIRIS-REx mission will continue under the new name OSIRIS-APEX.
As scientists eagerly await the results of their analysis, they are grateful for the opportunity to study this sample, which has waited billions of years for humans to study it. This groundbreaking mission demonstrates NASA’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of scientific exploration and expanding our understanding of the universe.