The Osiris-REx probe returns to base with material from an asteroid

The Osiris-REx probe returns to base with material from an asteroid

Osiris-REx, the NASA probe engaged last year in the difficult mission of taking samples of rock and soil belonging to the distant asteroid called Bennu, last Monday turned on the thrusters to begin the maneuver that will start its return journey to Earth . The van-sized spacecraft has begun its long journey home to bring back precious samples from the asteroid, which will be launched inside a special capsule through the atmosphere of Utah in 2023.

NASA

The probe's departure maneuver from the asteroid (Asteroid Departure Maneuver, ADM) was no problem for the Osiris-REx control team, kicking off the return to land of the first significant and pristine cargo of material from an asteroid in the history of NASA (you can buy the cap with the logo at this link). The staff, who monitor the progress of the mission from the Lockheed Martin center in Littleton, Colorado, confirmed the power-up of the thruster for seven minutes at 4 p.m. ET on Monday, celebrating the maneuver's success shortly after.

Osiris-REx was launched from Florida in 2016, and traveled over 100 million kilometers to Bennu, an asteroid vaguely resembling an acorn, named after an Egyptian deity symbolizing the creation of the world. Scientists hope that Bennu, an ancient remnant from the early days of our solar system, may hold clues to the origins of life on Earth.

Last year, Osiris-REx entered Bennu's orbit, gradually approaching the surface of the space rock, then extending a robotic arm more than three meters long, and equipped with a collector at the end . In a heart-pounding maneuver, lasting only a few seconds, the sampling head landed on Bennu's surface, emitting a jet of pressurized gas strong enough to lift rocks and debris, and then capture them with a container.

NASA

The asteroid's surface turned out to be surprisingly soft, and the maneuver thus made more rocks splash away than the control team expected. The material collected, almost 60 grams, was so abundant that it risked blocking the door of the sample container. Fortunately, the engineers from the ground managed to solve the problem without damage, thus allowing Osiris-REx to remain in orbit around Bennu for a few months, while collecting data on the cloud of debris that has risen and on the crater that maneuvers it. created.

Now, however, the time has really come for Osiris-REx to return home, thus starting a two-year journey to our planet with its precious loot jealously kept inside.