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Bennu is also one of the most potentially History of our Solar System, and bringing a piece of it back to Earth.īennu may contain the molecular precursors to the origin of life and Going to Bennu, a carbon-rich asteroid that records the earliest Mission seeks answers to questions that are central to the humanĮxperience: Where did we come from? What is our destiny? OSIRIS-REx is Orbit is reasonably well known, scientists continue to refine it.įigure 1: Simulated image of asteroid Bennu (image credit: NASA) This orbit takes it close to the Earth every six years. It completes an orbit of the Sun every 436.604 days (1.2 years). The origin of water and organic material on Earth.īennu is a near-Earth object with a mean diameter in of ~492 m and a mass of ~7.8 x 10 10 Objectives to understand not just the origin of the Solar System, but mission to return samples from anĪsteroid to Earth, addressing multiple NASA Solar System Exploration Original material from the solar nebula, from which our Solar Systemįormed. A pristine, carbonaceous asteroid containing the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Italy. The science team includes members from the Observatory are providing an imaging X-ray spectrometer as a StudentĬollaboration Experiment. Laser altimeter, building on the strong relationship established during The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is providing a KinetX’s (Tempe, AZ) experience with spacecraft navigation andĪrizona State University’s (Tempe, AZ) knowledge of thermalĮmission spectrometers. Mission assurance, and visible-near infrared spectroscopy
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Mission development and operations NASA/GSFC's (Greenbelt, MD)Įxpertise in project management, systems engineering, safety and Lockheed Martin’s (Denver, CO) unique experience in sample-return Planetary science and experience operating the Mars Phoenix Lander The University of Arizona’s (Tucson, AZ) leadership in The pieces essential for a successful asteroid sample return mission, Understanding the organic chemistry and geochemistry of an asteroid Understanding planet formation and the origin of life. Knowledge of its nature is fundamental to This asteroid isīoth the most accessible carbonaceous asteroid and the most potentially Of pristine regolith sample for Earth return. Trajectory to the asteroid’s surface to collect at least 60 gram To characterize the asteroid, OSIRIS-REx flies a TAG (Touch-And-Go) After several months of proximity operations Rendezvous and thoroughly characterize near-Earth asteroid Bennu Return Mission' NASA's New Frontiers Program.
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However, the official date of asteroid collision scientists have pinpointed is September 24, 2182.OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security‒Regolith Explorer) Spacecraft Launch Mission Status Sensor Complement TAG Phase Flight Dynamics References This is when it’s anticipated to have an extremely close encounter with Earth. The Future with the Asteroidįuture humans, if there are any, will hear more about this asteroid in 2135.
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To put that into perspective, the asteroid is wider than the Empire State Building’s height. The data will help scientists understand the orbital path of the one-third of a mile in diameter asteroid. The spacecraft has been investigating the asteroid for about two and a half years. The actual samples, however, aren’t going to touch down until 2023. The spacecraft took samples from the massive asteroid, which continues to be regarded as one of the most potentially hazardous known to us here on Earth. This spacecraft is currently on a long journey back home. If it were to ever come down to it, scientists would be able to give humanity one last fighting chance. Scientists now have a better understanding of Bennu’s path than they did before, many thanks to the Osiris-Rex spacecraft. In fact, the more information we have, the better off we may be. Team Asteroid - Jessica Valenti August 12, 2021