“Three-quarters of the sample will be set aside for future researchers – for the science questions we haven’t figured out to even ask yet”, said Gordon Johnston, an OSIRIS-REx program executive at NASA headquarters.
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“We celebrate the bigger picture of science that is helping us make discoveries and accomplish milestones that might have been science fiction yesterday.” . He told CNN, “I’m really excited”.
You can follow the mission on Twitter.
The satellite, OSIRIS-REx, was situated aboard an Atlas V rocket that appeared to launch without a hitch from Florida’s Cape Canaveral at 7:05 p.m. EST on Thursday night, September 8. “In particular, we will rely on it to find the areas of Bennu rich in organic molecules to identify possible sample sites of high science value, as well as the asteroid’s general composition”, principal investigator for the OSIRIS-REx mission, Lauretta, said in a statement. If the scientists get hands on an uncontaminated sample from one of these asteroids, they would be able to analyze it on Earth and get much more precise results than could be gleaned by spacecraft-based instrument. And less than two hours after launch, the spacecraft had deployed its solar arrays, initiated its propulsion system and established communications with Earth, they added.
“Its seven-year mission: to boldly go to the asteroid Bennu and back”, said Curie, echoing the show’s traditional intro. The probe will study the asteroid from orbit for two years, and then grab at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of dirt and gravel from its surface in July 2020.
If all goes as planned, OSIRIS-REx will reach its target, the asteroid Bennu, in 2018.
Nasa’s Goddard centre is providing overall mission management, systems engineering and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx.
NASA and scientists have plenty of other objectives for OSIRIS REx, but its prospect of finding billions-years-old chemical evidence in one of the few places that might have it – almost eternally wandering asteroids – opens all sorts of prospects of scientific study on the origins of life.
A packed house at ASU’s Marston Exploration theater watched the successful launch of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.
It is a joint project between University of Arizona and Arizona State University.
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United Launch Alliance is a partnership of Lockheed-Martin and Boeing. But the $800 million OSIRIS-REx mission is a first for NASA, and the scientific return is expected to be greater.
