In a remarkable culmination of its mission, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft of NASA is poised to deliver a highly coveted package of dust and fragments from the asteroid Bennu to the Utah desert in the United States over the upcoming weekend. This momentous event signifies the end of a journey that commenced more than seven years ago when Osiris-Rex embarked on its mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The conclusion of this extraordinary voyage is scheduled for Sunday, as the spacecraft prepares to release a capsule containing the invaluable asteroid sample. Guided by a heat shield, this capsule will undergo a fiery descent through Earth's atmosphere before gently parachuting down to its destination at the Utah Test and Training Range in Dugway, Utah, which is under the management of the US military.
In 2020, the van-sized Osiris-Rex spacecraft executed a "touch-and-go" maneuver, akin to a celestial chest bump, deftly collecting a few ounces of material from the intriguing space rock, Bennu. Bennu, a massive asteroid, is essentially a conglomerate of debris held together by its own gravitational pull. Osiris-Rex remained in the vicinity of Bennu until 2021, after which it commenced its two-year return journey to Earth.
Mission controllers have diligently prepared for the capsule's homecoming over several months. On September 10, NASA confirmed that the spacecraft briefly fired its thrusters to adjust its trajectory towards Earth. This minor course correction aligns Osiris-Rex for the anticipated capsule release, scheduled to occur off the coast of California at 7:42 a.m. PT. Approximately 13 minutes later, the capsule will gracefully touch down in a predetermined area southwest of Salt Lake City, covering a span of 36 miles by 8.5 miles.
During its fiery descent, the capsule will endure scorching temperatures but will be safeguarded by its sturdy heat shield. To ensure a secure recovery, thermal imaging equipment will track its progress, and recovery teams will be rapidly dispatched via helicopter to retrieve the capsule. Their swift response aims to minimize any potential contamination from Earth's environment.
Osiris-Rex stands as NASA's pioneering mission in this domain, as Japan's space agency previously sent two spacecraft, Hayabusa and Hayabusa 2, on similar quests to collect and transport samples from the asteroids Itokawa and Ryugu, respectively.
Upon its safe arrival, the asteroid sample will be transported to Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it will undergo preliminary analysis. The findings will be unveiled during a live-streamed news conference on October 11, with the hope that this unique sample will provide scientists with valuable insights into the early stages of the solar system's formation, including the birth of the sun and planets approximately 4.5 billion years ago.
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