The sample return capsule experiences maximum heating in Earths atmosphere. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center/CI Lab
Heres How the September 24 Asteroid Sample Delivery Will Work
Early morning on Sunday, September 24, the OSIRIS-REx spacecrafts sample capsule will come in person with Earths environment for the very first time given that the missions 2016 launch. On board are a projected 8.8 ounces, or 250 grams, of rocky product gathered from the surface area of Bennu in 2020– NASAs first asteroid sample and the biggest ever gathered in space.
Capsules Descent to Earth
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will not slow down as it makes its sample drop-off when it approaches Earth. Rather, when it reaches 63,000 miles (or 102,000 kilometers) above Earths surface area– about one-third the distance from Earth to the Moon– a message from operators on the ground will activate the pills release, and the capsule will be sent out spinning towards the atmosphere below. Twenty minutes after the drop-off, the spacecraft will fire its thrusters to divert past Earth towards asteroid Apophis, where it will continue examining our solar system under a new name: OSIRIS-APEX (OSIRIS-Apophis Explorer).
OSIRIS-REx is NASAs first asteroid sample return objective. It released in September 2016 on a journey to explore a near-Earth asteroid called Bennu. The missions thrilling ending will occur on September 24, 2023, as a pill consisting of the Bennu samples touches down in Utahs West Desert. Credit: NASA
Meanwhile, after zooming through area for four hours, the capsule will pierce Earths atmosphere at 8:42 a.m. MDT (10:42 a.m. EDT), traveling about 27,650 miles per hour (44,500 kph). At this speed, the compression of Earths atmosphere will produce sufficient energy to envelop the capsule in a superheated ball of fire. A heat shield will assist to manage the temperature inside the capsule, keeping the sample safe at a temperature level comparable to that of Bennus surface.
Pills Descent to Earth
Parachutes will bring the pills descent to a safe landing speed. A drogue parachute created to provide a steady transition to subsonic speeds will release first, about 2 minutes after the capsule enters the atmosphere. 6 minutes later– at about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) above the desert– the primary chute will unfurl, carrying the capsule the rest of the way to a 36-mile by 8.5-mile (58-kilometer by 14-kilometer) area on the military range. At goal, the capsule will have slowed to about 11 mph (18 kph).
Simply 13 minutes after getting in the atmosphere, the pill will be on Earth for the first time in 7 years, waiting for the recovery teams approach.
This graphic shows the events that occur in between the time the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft launches its sample capsule to the time it lands in the Utah desert. Credit: Lockheed Martin
About 20 minutes before the capsule lands, when it is still high above the veil of Earths environment, the recovery field group will board 4 helicopters and head out into the desert. The infrared glow of the pills heat signature will be tracked by thermal instruments until the pill becomes visible to optical instruments, providing the healing group a way to trace the pills Earthbound path. The goal for the recovery team is to obtain the pill from the ground as quickly as possible to avoid polluting the sample with Earths environment.
Test Processing and Distribution
As soon as situated and packaged for travel, the pill will be flown by means of helicopter longline to a short-lived clean room on the military variety, where it will go through preliminary processing and disassembly in preparation for its journey by airplane to NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, where the sample will be recorded, cared for, and distributed for analysis to scientists worldwide.
Rather, when it reaches 63,000 miles (or 102,000 kilometers) above Earths surface area– about one-third the range from Earth to the Moon– a message from operators on the ground will trigger the pills release, and the capsule will be sent spinning toward the environment below. After zooming through area for four hours, the pill will pierce Earths environment at 8:42 a.m. MDT (10:42 a.m. EDT), traveling about 27,650 miles per hour (44,500 kph). About 20 minutes before the capsule lands, when it is still high above the veil of Earths environment, the healing field team will board four helicopters and head out into the desert. The infrared glow of the pills heat signature will be tracked by thermal instruments until the capsule becomes visible to optical instruments, giving the healing team a method to trace the capsules Earthbound path. The goal for the healing group is to recover the capsule from the ground as rapidly as possible to avoid polluting the sample with Earths environment.
