On this episode, ride along with mission leaders as they prepare for the return of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft carrying 4.5-billion-year-old bits of rock and dust from asteroid Bennu. Learn about the critical operations and tense moments leading up to the successful sample collection. Discover the process of collecting environmental samples and the precautions taken to protect them. Experience the excitement as a helicopter delivers the capsule to scientists, marking the culmination of a 19-year project. Finally, explore the transportation and analysis of the precious asteroid sample at NASA's Johnson Space Center.
The samples collected from asteroid Bennu could rewrite scientists’ understanding of our solar system and the origins of life on Earth.
The success of the OSIRIS-REx sample return mission paves the way for future missions to bring back samples from other celestial bodies, providing a better understanding of our place in the universe.
Deep dives
The Return of the Sample Capsule
After a journey of nearly four billion miles, NASA's Osiris Rex spacecraft successfully released a capsule containing rock and dust samples collected from the asteroid Bennu. The samples, considered pristine as they have never been exposed to Earth's atmosphere or biosphere, hold the potential to shed light on the formation of our solar system and the origins of life on Earth.
The Tense Moments Before Landing
As the sample capsule descended towards Earth, the team anxiously awaited the deployment of the parachute, which would determine whether the capsule would make a gentle landing or crash onto the desert floor. The successful deployment brought relief to the scientists involved, as they had prepared extensively for various potential challenges and failures based on past missions.
The Importance of Pristine Asteroid Samples
The samples collected from asteroid Bennu are of great scientific value, as they have remained untouched by Earth's atmosphere and biosphere for billions of years. Unlike meteorites that become contaminated upon entering our planet, these pristine samples hold the potential to reveal new insights into the formation of the solar system and the origins of life.
The Future of Sample Return Missions
The success of Osiris Rex's sample return mission paves the way for future missions to bring back samples from other celestial bodies, such as comets and other asteroids. The study of these samples using technologies not yet invented will allow scientists to continue unraveling the mysteries of the universe and provide a better understanding of our place in it.
On September 24, 2023, a capsule from space parachuted down into the Utah desert. Tucked inside it were 4.5-billion-year-old bits of rock and dust from a faraway asteroid named Bennu collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. These pristine space rocks, which contain carbon and other building blocks of life, could rewrite scientists’ understanding of our solar system. In this episode, sit in mission control and ride aboard helicopters with asteroid mission leaders like Dante Lauretta and Mike Moreau for a behind-the-scenes look at the OSIRIS-REx sample return mission’s epic conclusion. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and other experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse
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