NASA Selects Two Missions to Explore the Early Solar System

[Flyaway]

Since the capsule has been delivered the mission is now called OSIRIS-APEX as it travels to Apophis.

OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Departs for New Mission – OSIRIS-REx Mission

blogs.nasa.gov

 

[NMaude]

Scott Manley posted a video a few hours ago about the landing of the sample-return capsule:

NASA's OSIRIS REx spacecraft completed its primary mission by returning a large sample from the asteroid Bennu to Earth over the weekend, dropping its sample return capsule neatly onto a test range in Utah after giving the engineers some concern that it might crash.

Now the material has been recovered it'll be sent to labs to be analyzed using technologies and instrumentation which could never fly on a spacecraft.Meanwhile the parent spacecraft is renamed OSIRIS APEX and is headed toward a rendezvous with Apophis.

 

[Flyaway]

Canister lid is open.

The OSIRIS-REx Sample Canister Lid is Removed – OSIRIS-REx Mission

blogs.nasa.gov

 

[Forest Green]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1706380048561737992

View: https://twitter.com/LockheedMartin/status/1706380048561737992?s=20

https://twitter.com/x/status/1707087708886126690

View: https://twitter.com/LockheedMartin/status/1707087708886126690?s=20

 

[NMaude]

It will be very interesting see what scientific-analysis of the regolith sample will reveal. On another note Anton Petrov has put out an interesting video concerning the OSIRIS-REx sample return mission along with several precursor sample-return missions from other space-probes:

Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about a brief history of sample return missions

Links:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...ps://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/&v=Swr778ygPcM

DART mission: • NASA Just Smashed Into an Asteroid! D... • DART Asteroid Collision Updates: Unex... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFvaA4H45zw&t=0s

#osirisrex #nasa #asteroidbennu

0:00 Osiris rex capsule retrieval

1:20 Samples are here, but we don't know much yet

2:00 Perfect landing

2:40 First mission - Stardust

3:15 Major discoveries from comet Wild 2

4:05 JAXA launches a mission to an asteroid

5:00 Major findings from a strange asteroid

6:05 Genesis mission and its unusual landing

6:35 Ryugu retrieval and incredible success by Japan...again

7:30 Strange discoveries

9:15 Weird bubbly surface on Bennu

10:00 Water?! and strange liquids inside crystals

11:30 Bennu samples are more exciting

 

[Flyaway]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1707626340546171021

View: https://twitter.com/DJSnM/status/1707626340546171021

I just saw the hi-res shot of the OSIRIS REx sample container after opening, and I’m amazed at how much dust we see. When the TAGSAM system was developed the regolith simlulants weren’t anywhere close to this fine. But also, no trace of the larger pieces visible in space.

 

[NMaude]

This video concerning the OSIRIS-REx mission and the return of the sample-capsule was uploaded the other day after NASA opened the container:

NASA finally opened the space capsule containing the largest asteroid sample ever collected by a space mission. The sample came from Bennu, a potentially hazardous asteroid that's like a time capsule from the early solar system. On 26 September 2023, scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston opened the lid on the sample return canister from the OSIRIS-REx mission, which had returned to Earth two days earlier with a sample from the asteroid. As the lid was lifted, scientists gasped at what they saw: a layer of black dust and debris on the avionics deck of the canister. Also, the sample weighed 100 grams more than what was collected at Bennu. This was unexpected, as the sample was safely stored in a sealed container all along the way.

So, how did this happen in the first place? What's the source of the unexpected black dust on the avionics deck of the canister? Finally, and most importantly, what do scientists expect to find in the detailed analysis of the largest asteroid sample that has ever returned to Earth?

The 74th episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.

 

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NASA's first asteroid-return sample is a goldmine of life-sustaining materials

The samples hold chemical clues to the formation of our solar system—and the origin of life-supporting stuff on our planet.

www.popsci.com

 

[NMaude]

NASA's first asteroid-return sample is a goldmine of life-sustaining materials

The samples hold chemical clues to the formation of our solar system—and the origin of life-supporting stuff on our planet.

www.popsci.com

There was an article on the revealing of some of the sample and honestly it looked like coal.

 

[NMaude]

It will be interesting to see what the main will reveal, from TheSpaceBucket:

It’s been over 7 years since NASA launched a spacecraft intended to retrieve samples from an Asteroid. A few weeks ago the sample successfully landed in the Utah desert and was just partially opened by NASA scientists. Inside is the largest asteroid sample ever returned to Earth. Initial scientific returns are promising, showing that Bennu is rich in both water and carbon-containing compounds.

When NASA picked Asteroid Bennu, they were hoping that it would contain these exact features. Interestingly, when the spacecraft first made contact, it actually grabbed more rocks and dust than expected. Now NASA is able to figure out exactly how much was extracted and the quality of the sample.

Even though the capsule landed a few weeks ago, NASA is taking its time and doing everything in its power to ensure the samples are not contaminated. This way they can be sure that whatever features and compounds shown are from the asteroid and not Earth. Here I will go more in-depth into the initial results, why they are so important, plans for the future, and more.

Full article here - https://thespacebucket.com/what-exact...

 

[Flyaway]

According to a NASA blog post, the curation team that's been processing the samples says it has removed and collected 70.3 grams (2.48 ounces) of Bennu material from the capsule so far — and it hasn't even actually been opened yet. Those 70.3 grams come from just the area on the outside (and part of the inside) of the sample collector's head.

…

"After multiple attempts at removal, the team discovered two of the 35 fasteners on the TAGSAM head could not be removed with the current tools approved for use in the OSIRIS-REx glovebox," it says. "The team has been working to develop and implement new approaches to extract the material inside the head, while continuing to keep the sample safe and pristine."

Basically, the OSIRIS-REx scientists have many regulations in place for how to deal with the sample because it's very important they don't interfere with its preservation. For instance, the blog post says, all curation work is performed inside a special glove box that has a constant flow of nitrogen. Without that flow, the sample might be exposed to Earth's atmosphere.

NASA can't open its OSIRIS-REx asteroid capsule yet, but the outside alone holds more than enough samples

And that's without even actually opening the sample capsule.

www.space.com

 

[Flyaway]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1719804333804720321

View: https://twitter.com/nasasolarsystem/status/1719804333804720321

Hello Lucy! The spacecraft phoned home and is healthy. Now, the engineers will command Lucy to send science data from the Dinkinesh encounter to Earth. This data downlink will take several days. Thanks for following along today and stay tuned!
go.nasa.gov/3sgxWj7

 

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NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Discovers 2nd Asteroid During Dinkinesh Flyby​

NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Discovers 2nd Asteroid During Dinkinesh Flyby - NASA

On Nov. 1, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft flew by not just its first asteroid, but its first two. The first images returned by Lucy reveal that the small main belt asteroid Dinkinesh is actually a binary pair.

www.nasa.gov

 

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Satellite Discovered by NASA’s Lucy Mission Gets Name​

The satellite discovered during the first asteroid encounter of NASA’s Lucy mission has an official name. On Nov. 27, 2023, the International Astronomical Union approved the name “Selam” or ሰላም, which means “peace” in the Ethiopian language Amharic, for Dinkinesh’s moon.

Satellite Discovered by NASA’s Lucy Mission Gets Name – Lucy Mission

blogs.nasa.gov

 

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NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX to Fly Closer to Sun to Reach Asteroid Apophis

NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX to Fly Closer to Sun to Reach Asteroid Apophis – OSIRIS-APEX

blogs.nasa.gov

 

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NASA Asteroid Sampling Mission Renamed OSIRIS-APEX for New Journey

NASA Asteroid Sampling Mission Renamed OSIRIS-APEX for New Journey - NASA

The former OSIRIS-REx spacecraft sets off on a journey to study asteroid Apophis and take advantage of the asteroid’s 2029 flyby of Earth, the likes of which hasn’t happened since the dawn of recorded history.

www.nasa.gov

View: https://youtu.be/hjJIyZKbHqc

This animation depicts the orbital trajectory of asteroid 99942 Apophis as it zooms safely past Earth on April 13, 2029. Earth’s gravity will slightly deflect the trajectory as the 1,100-foot-wide (340-meter-wide) near-Earth object comes within 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) of our planet’s surface. The motion has been sped up 2,000 times.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

 

[Flyaway]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1767941383329820846

View: https://twitter.com/starstryder/status/1767941383329820846

They found objects in the Bennu Sample that are clearly pieces of 1 initial thing (what do you call these tiny bits of asteroid?) This is the ultimate puzzle!