NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully sent a capsule containing asteroid samples to Earth, landing in the Utah desert.
The capsule was separated from OSIRIS-REx while 63,000 miles from our planet.
The capsule reached the surface at the Utah Department of Defense training site near Salt Lake City. About 8.8 ounces (250 grams) of material from the asteroid Bennu is inside the tablet.
NASA’s OSIRS-REx sample capsule has entered Earth’s atmosphere and is heading toward its landing site.
Image credit: NASA TV
NASA says the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule deployed its main parachute at 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) and is now drifting toward Earth.
Image credit: NASA TV
NASA recovery teams have located the OSIRIS-REx return capsule containing asteroid samples and are now securing it for subsequent delivery to a specialized facility at the Dugway test site.
According to information from NASA, the capsule remained intact.
Image credit: NASA
Experts from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx recovery team packed the 120-pound (54,4 kg) capsule designed to return asteroid samples into a protective case, shipping container, and special mesh. This was done so the capsule could be safely transported by helicopter to a sterile facility at the Dugway test site.
Image credit: NASA
The recovery helicopter successfully picked up the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule and is moving towards a sterile facility at the Army’s Dugway Proving Ground. Following procedures to ensure the safety of its transportation, the tablet will be sent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for further research in a specialized laboratory.
Image credit: NASA
NASA crews successfully brought the OSIRIS-REx capsule to the Dugway test site. Now, they are preparing to move her to a sterile room. They will then be able to retrieve the sample container from the asteroid and send it to the Johnson Space Center in the coming days.
Image credit: NASA TV
OSIRIS-REx, after successfully separating the capsule, turned on the engines to correct the trajectory and is now moving towards the asteroid Apophis. The spacecraft will observe its passage near Earth in 2029. In connection with the new mission, NASA renamed OSIRIS-REx to OSIRIS-REx-APEX.
Based on materials, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return to Earth: Live updates. https://www.space.com/news/live/nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-bennu-sample-return-updates
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