ANTARIKSA — Asteroid Bennu is one of the asteroids located near Earth. The American Space Agency (NASA) OSIRIS-REx spacecraft researched the asteroid Bennu, took samples and immediately sent them to Earth.
OSIRIS-REx is an abbreviation for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer. This spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral in 2016 to study the asteroid Bennu.
OSIRIS-REx arrived in orbit around Bennu in December 2018. OSIRIS-REx succeeded in revealing new facts about the asteroid Bennu.
Some of OSIRIS-REx’s findings about the asteroid Bennu include the discovery of water ice locked in the Bennu rock. OSIRIS-REx also finds carbon that is largely related to biological processes.
The spacecraft circled closer to the asteroid until Touch-and-Go sample collection occurred on October 20, 2020.
Obstacles to the OSIRIS-REx mission
Along the way, various obstacles threaten the success of the mission. These obstacles include the sample collector on the OSIRIS-REx aircraft collecting so much material. This causes the container to not close properly. As a result, the asteroid sample leaked into space.
During the sample collection event, the OSIRIS-REx sampling probe sank 0.5 meters into the asteroid’s surface. It turns out that Bennu’s exterior is made of particles that are loosely arranged and not tightly bound.
If the spacecraft hadn’t fired its thrusters to reverse after rapidly collecting dust and rock, it would probably have sunk right into the asteroid.
That’s when the mission team discovered that the surface of the asteroid resembled a hole in a plastic ball.
The OSIRIS-REx team was able to face and overcome this challenge. Now, the spacecraft is scheduled to return the largest sample collected by a NASA mission. The sample is expected to reach Earth on Sunday (24/9/2023).
2023-09-22 14:26:00
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