By examining Bennu at length and then providing a soil sample, OSIRIS-REx will give scientists extensive data that will assist in understanding how life first arose on Earth during the early era of the formation of the solar system.
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The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is created to rendezvous with, study, and return a sample of the asteroid Bennu to Earth.
After almost two years in orbit around 101955 Bennu, OSIRIS-REx will attempt an extremely close approach without landing, using its robotic arm to scoop up a material sample from the asteroid’s surface.
“We believe that the composition of the asteroid has perhaps organic material, it has perhaps a significant amount of water, those are the things that were delivered to Earth early on”, said Jim Green, NASA’s planetary division director.
“Tonight is a night for celebration – we are on our way to an asteroid”, said Ellen Stofan, chief scientist of the U.S. space agency NASA.
It’s an ambitious mission – and, a first for the United States. Bennu is 500 meters across, which is about the size of a small mountain.
On Thursday, during a live launch broadcast in an apparent nod to “Star Trek”, which has completed its 50 years, NASA spokesman Mike Curie said announced OSIRIS-Rex liftoff, its seven-year mission to approach Bennu asteroid and return back with its pieces. NASA hopes to get at least two ounces (60 grams) of material and perhaps as much as 4.4 pounds.
The main goal of the project is to gather dirt and debris from the surface of the asteroid and return it to Earth for further study by 2023.
The spacecraft, OSIRIS-Rex, was built by Lockheed Martin and launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on September 8th at 7:05PM.
About an hour later, OSIRIS-REx, which stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, successfully separated from the rocket’s upper stage, formally embarking on its long trip to chase the asteroid named Bennu.
A Nasa spacecraft has blasted off on a seven-year mission to explore an asteroid.
“Tonight’s a night for celebration, we are on our way to an asteroid!”
Every six years, Bennu, a potentially risky asteroid that is also a near-Earth object, crosses our planet’s orbit.
“The more big pieces we can get the better. they could contain the carbon molecules that we want to see”, Jim Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said on NASA TV. The spacecraft will come within 10,000 miles (16,100 kilometers) to 17,000 miles (27,400 kilometers) of Earth.
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To capture the dust sample on the surface, the space craft will “kiss” the asteroid with a robotic arm, gently touching the surface.
