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NASA's OSIRIS-REx lands samples of asteroid Bennu to Earth after
historic 4-billion-mile journey
By Brett Tingley last updated about 3 hours ago
"Touchdown for science!" NASA says. "We're all breathing a huge sigh of relief."
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DUGWAY, Utah — NASA's first-ever samples of an asteroid in deep space have landed safely on Earth in a historic first for the United States.
In a mid-morning operation at the U.S. Army's Dugway Proving Ground in
the arid Utah desert, teams with NASA and the U.S. Air Force
successfully recovered a space capsule with samples of asteroid Bennu
taken by the agency's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in 2020. The mission marks
the first time that NASA has taken a sample of an asteroid, not to
mention successfully recovering it.
After traveling for over 4 billion miles (6.2 billion kilometers) to
reach Bennu and then make the journey home, the OSIRIS-REx probe
released its sample return capsule this morning while it was about
63,000 miles (101,000 km) above Earth. The capsule contains some 250
grams (8.8 ounces) of rocks and other material from Bennu, material that
could help answer some of scientists' most burning questions about the
origins of life on Earth and the early days of our solar system.
"Touchdown for science!" said Jim Garvin, chief scientist of NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center, from the landing site during a live
broadcast. "For the first time in history, we brought goodies back home
from this kind of object. This is so hige and we're all breathing a big
sigh of relief."
Related: How asteroid Bennu caught NASA's OSIRIS-REx by surprise &
nearly killed it
Image 1 of 5
The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the
Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.
The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the
Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.(Image credit:
NASA/Keegan Barber)
A bright white light is seen streaking through the sky as the capsule
enters Earth's atmosphere
NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return capsule streaks across the sky
during reentry in this infrared view on Sept. 24, 2023.(Image credit: NASA) people clapping and cheering a spacecraft's return to Earth with
asteroid samples
OSIRIS-REx mission scientists and engineers cheer as the spacecraft's
sample return capsule returns to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023.(Image credit:
NASA TV)
Shadow of helicopter is seen with the parachute and sample capsule on
the ground.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return capsule and its parachute are
seen by recovery teams from a helicopter after its successful landing in
Utah on Sept. 24, 2023.(Image credit: NASA)
The capsule is seen in the clean room with scientists wearing white
outfits gathered around.
OSIRIS-REx mission team members receive the asteroid sample return
capsule in a clean room after its landing.(Image credit: NASA)
The OSIRIS-REx capsule reached speeds of up to 27,000 mph (43,450 km/h)
and its heatshield experienced temperatures as high as 5,300 degrees
Fahrenheit (2,900 Celsius) as it descended through Earth's atmosphere.
The capsule deployed its main parachute at an altitude of about 20,000
feet, four times higher than expected at 5,000 feet, but it appeared to
land safely. As it floated down to the desert floor of the U.S.
Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range here, the capsule
cooled down enough so that U.S. Air Force personnel could approach after locating it.
The descent from the edge of the atmosphere to the desert sands took
just under 13 minutes in total to end a 4 billion-mile journey. The $1
billion OSIRIS-REx mission launched in 2016, arrived at Bennu in 2018
and collected samples of the asteroid in 2020.
Once on the ground, the capsule and surrounding area was examined to
make sure it was safe for OSIRIS-REx team members and recovery personnel
to approach and examine the capsule. An early examination by recovery
teams found that the capsule was intact and suffered no breaches during landing.
From there, the capsule will be hooked up to a helicopter via a
longline and airlifted to a temporary cleanroom set up at the U.S.
Army's Dugway Proving Ground.
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Once secure inside the facility, the capsule will be opened no earlier
than Tuesday (Sept. 26), and the canister inside that contains the
precious sample of asteroid Bennu will be prepared for transport once
again. The asteroid material will next be loaded onto an aircraft and
flown to NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas where a newly-built facility is waiting for it, the agency's Astromaterials
Research and Exploration Science (ARES) division.
"Congratulations to the entire OSIRIS-REx team. You did it!" NASA
Administrator Bill Nelson in a video during live commentary. "This
mission proves that NASA does big things. Things that inspire us, things
that unite us, things that show that nothing is beyond our reach."
This mosaic image of asteroid Bennu is composed of 12 images collected
on Dec. 2, 2018 by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a range of 15 miles
(24 km).
This mosaic image of asteroid Bennu is composed of 12 images collected
on Dec. 2, 2018 by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a range of 15 miles
(24 km). (Image credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona)
From there, the sample will be divided up among different scientific institutions and world space agencies. NASA will keep 70% of the sample
at JSC where it will analyze it for years to come. Another 25% will be
shared between over 200 scientists at 35 different facilities. 4% will
be given to the Canadian Space Agency, and another 0.5% will be given to
the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
OSIRIS-REx is NASA's first to collect an asteroid sample, but JAXA has
two such missions under its belt. That agency's Hayabusa 1 collected
materials from asteroid Itokawa and returned them in 2010, and Hayabusa
2 returned sampled of asteroid Ryugu in 2020.
A scientist photographs the capsule
A NASA scientist photographs the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return
capsule after its landing in Utah on Sept. 24, 2023. (Image credit: NASA) RELATED STORIES:
— How asteroid Bennu caught NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft by surprise and nearly killed it along the way
— No, the OSIRIS-REx probe will not bring back asteroid space 'germs'
— Dramatic sampling shows asteroid Bennu is nothing like scientists expected
The successful landing and recovery of the asteroid Bennu samples marks
the end of a seven-year mission that saw its share of surprises. When
the spacecraft arrived at Bennu in 2018, it found an asteroid resembling
more of a pile of gravel and rubble than a solid rock. Scientists with
the mission then had to rethink the plan for the probe's landing, which required reprogramming the spacecraft to land in an area less than one
quarter of the size of its original intended landing site.
But the OSIRIS-REx team pulled it off. Dante Lauretta, principal
investigator of the mission, said during a pre-landing media briefing on
Sept. 22 that the OSIRIS-REx team has been consistent in its ability to
work through the unexpected issues that popped up.
"We've always taken a deliberate, careful, cautious approach," Lauretta
said. "And I think that's why this mission has been so successful up to
this date."
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Brett Tingley
Brett Tingley
Editor, Space.com
Brett is curious about emerging technologies, alternative launch
concepts, anti-satellite technologies and uncrewed aircraft systems.
Brett's work has appeared on Scientific American, The War Zone, Popular Science, the History Channel, Science Discovery and more. Brett has
English degrees from Clemson University and the University of North
Carolina at Charlotte. In his free time, Brett enjoys skywatching
throughout the dark skies of the Appalachian mountains.
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