Recovery teams participate in field rehearsals in preparation for the retrieval of the sample return capsule from NASAs OSIRIS-REx mission at the Department of Defenses Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was gathered from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020 by NASAs OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and will return to Earth on September 24th, landing under parachute at the Utah Test and Training Range. The missions thrilling ending will take place on September 24, 2023, as a capsule consisting of the Bennu samples touches down in Utahs West Desert. The spacecraft, without decreasing, will launch the sample capsule from a range approximately one-third of the way to the Moon. The sample pill will journey through space for four hours before getting in Earths environment at an incredible speed of 27,650 miles per hour, which will cover the capsule in intense heat.
NASAs live protection of the OSIRIS-REx pill landing begins at 10 a.m. EDT (8 a.m. MDT) on Sunday, September 24, and will air on NASA TELEVISION, the NASA app, and the firms site.
OSIRIS-REx is NASAs very first asteroid sample return mission. The missions thrilling finale will take place on September 24, 2023, as a pill containing the Bennu samples touches down in Utahs West Desert.
How the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Delivery Will Work
It carries a significant 250-gram sample from the asteroid Bennu, gathered in 2020. The spacecraft, without slowing down, will launch the sample capsule from a range approximately one-third of the way to the Moon.
This graphic reveals the events that happen in between the time the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft releases its sample pill to the time it lands in the Utah desert. Credit: Lockheed Martin
The sample pill will journey through area for four hours before getting in Earths atmosphere at a shocking speed of 27,650 miles per hour, which will wrap the pill in intense heat. Thanks to a heat guard, the sample remains protected at temperatures similar to Bennu.
The healing team, boarding helicopters around 20 minutes before landing, will utilize thermal tracking to find the pill in its descent. They aim to recuperate the pill rapidly, decreasing exposure to Earths environment. Once recovered, the pill will be carried to a tidy space on the military range for preliminary processing. Consequently, it will be sent to NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston. Here, the sample will be recorded, maintained, and shown global scientists for extensive analysis.
Healing groups take part in field practice sessions in preparation for the retrieval of the sample return capsule from NASAs OSIRIS-REx mission at the Department of Defenses Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was gathered from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020 by NASAs OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and will go back to Earth on September 24th, landing under parachute at the Utah Test and Training Range. Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
A weather instruction today predicted a dry September 24 with low winds. These are optimum conditions for NASAs OSIRIS-REx sample recovery group: A windy and wet day would have made a quick pill healing from the desert flooring of the Department of Defenses Utah Test and Training Range harder.
The OSIRIS-REx group will continue keeping an eye on the weather on Sunday via balloons, the very first to be launched at 5 a.m. EDT (3 a.m. MDT), which will skyrocket to around 60,000 feet above the military range to measure regional temperature level, humidity, air pressure, and wind.
The Department of Defenses Utah Test and Training Range is seen, Monday, July 17, 2023. Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
Today, staff member packed their supplies for the field and filled their gear onto the helicopters and lorries theyll utilize Sunday early morning to take a trip to the pills landing place.