In a remarkable culmination of its mission, NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft is poised to deliver a prized package of dust and fragments from the asteroid Bennu to the Utah desert in the United States this weekend. This momentous event marks the culmination of a journey that began over 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 is set to release a capsule containing the invaluable asteroid sample. This capsule will undertake a fiery descent through Earth’s atmosphere, guided by a heat shield, before gently parachuting down to its destination at the Utah Test and Training Range near Dugway, Utah, which is managed by the US military.
In the year 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 lingered around Bennu until 2021, at which point it commenced its two-year journey back to Earth.
Mission controllers have meticulously 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 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, spanning 36 miles by 8.5 miles.
During its fiery descent, the capsule will experience scorching temperatures but will be protected by its robust heat shield. To ensure a safe recovery, thermal imaging equipment will track its progress, and recovery teams will be swiftly dispatched via helicopter to retrieve the capsule. Their prompt response is aimed at minimizing any potential contamination from Earth’s environment.
Osiris-Rex represents NASA’s pioneering mission in this field. Japan’s space agency has previously sent two spacecraft, Hayabusa and Hayabusa 2, on similar missions to collect and transport samples from 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.
