The sample will help scientists get a snapshot of what materials were present when our Solar System formed.
Researchers believe asteroids like Bennu haven’t changed much since the birth of our cosmic neighborhood. They plan to study the recovered rocks and use the mission to inform future exploration.
OSIRIS-REx grabbed more rocks and materials than expected — so much, that it jammed the spacecraft’s sample collector open and some of it went spewing out into space. NASA opted not to measure the sample and instead quickly stowed the rocks to keep them safe.with the sample in 2021, and has been en route to Earth ever since. On Sunday morning, OSIRIS-REx will come within 63,000 miles of Earth, which is when the last leg of the journey begins — and not one entirely without risks.
The container will come into the atmosphere at about 27,000 miles per hour and heat up to around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It has a heat shield, a critical piece of hardware meant to prevent the sample from burning up — which would end the mission.As it descends, the capsule will release a drogue parachute to keep it steady, followed by another parachute to slow it down. If all goes to plan, the capsule will gently touch down in Utah at 10 to 11 miles per hour.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NASA effort to bring home asteroid rocks will end this weekend in triumph or a crashNASA's first effort to retrieve samples from an asteroid will send a capsule that contains extraterrestrial pebbles and dust plunging towards a Utah desert on Sunday.
Read more »
NASA's OSIRIS mission is about to deliver asteroid samples to EarthStudying bits of asteroid Bennu can tell us about Earth's past—and potentially help future humans prepare for collisions.
Read more »
Extra Time: Fentanyl bust in Queens; NASA tracks asteroid that could hit EarthIn this edition of Eyewitness News Extra Time, we begin with another case of fentanyl found close to a child, this time in Queens Village.
Read more »
NASA’s Psyche mission to a metal asteroid may reveal how Earth formedThe Psyche mission is scheduled to begin its journey to an asteroid of the same name on 5 October – it could help us understand Earth’s core and how our planet formed
Read more »
NASA’s rationale behind reaching an asteroid that may collide with EarthScientists believe the sample of carbon-rich asteroid Bennu might contain clues to the origins of organics and water that could have led to life on Earth.
Read more »
Telescope spots OSIRIS-REx returning from asteroid BennuThe NASA spacecraft will return a sample from the distant asteroid to Earth on September 24.
Read more »