From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
NASA Prepares to Launch First U.S. Asteroid Sample Return Mission
By NASA
Aug 17, 2016 - 6:35:18 PM
NASA is preparing to launch its first mission to return
a sample of an asteroid to Earth. The mission will help scientists
investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve
our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.
TheOrigins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification,
Security-Regolith Explorer(OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft will travel to the
near-Earth asteroid Bennu and bring a sample back to Earth for intensive
study. Launch is scheduled for
7:05 p.m. EDT
Thursday, Sept. 8 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
“This mission exemplifies our nation’s quest to boldly go and study
our solar system and beyond to better understand the universe and our
place in it,” said Geoff Yoder, acting associate administrator for the
agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “NASA science is the
greatest engine of scientific discovery on the planet and OSIRIS-REx
embodies our directorate’s goal to innovate, explore, discover, and
inspire.”
The 4,650-pound (2,110-kilogram) fully-fueled spacecraft will launch
aboard an Atlas V 411 rocket during a 34-day launch period that begins
Sept. 8,
and reach its asteroid target in 2018. After a careful survey of Bennu
to characterize the asteroid and locate the most promising sample sites,
OSIRIS-REx will collect between 2 and 70 ounces (about 60 to 2,000
grams) of surface material with its robotic arm and return the sample to
Earth via a detachable capsule in 2023.
"The launch of OSIRIS-REx is the beginning a seven-year journey to
return pristine samples from asteroid Bennu," said OSIRIS-REx Principal
Investigator Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "The
team has built an amazing spacecraft, and we are well-equipped to
investigate Bennu and return with our scientific treasure."
OSIRIS-REx has five instruments to explore Bennu:
- OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS) – A system consisting of three
cameras provided by the University of Arizona, Tucson, will observe
Bennu and provide global imaging, sample site imaging, and will witness
the sampling event.
- OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) – A scanning LIDAR (Light
Detection and Ranging) contributed by the Canadian Space Agency will be
used to measure the distance between the spacecraft and Bennu's surface,
and will map the shape of the asteroid.
- OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer (OTES) – An instrument
provided by Arizona State University in Tempe that will investigate
mineral abundances and provide temperature information with observations
in the thermal infrared spectrum.
- OSIRIS-REx Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (OVIRS) – An
instrument provided by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Maryland and designed to measure visible and infrared light from Bennu
to identify mineral and organic material.
- Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) – A student experiment
provided by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard
University in Cambridge, which will observe the X-ray spectrum to
identify chemical elements on Bennu’s surface and their abundances.
Additionally, the spacecraft has two systems that will enable the sample collection and return:
- Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) – An articulated
robotic arm with a sampler head, provided by Lockheed Martin Space
Systems in Denver, to collect a sample of Bennu's surface.
- OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule (SRC) – A capsule with a heat
shield and parachutes in which the spacecraft will return the asteroid
sample to Earth, provided by Lockheed Martin.
"Our upcoming launch is the culmination of a tremendous amount of
effort from an extremely dedicated team of scientists, engineers,
technicians, finance and support personnel," said OSIRIS-REx Project
Manager Mike Donnelly at Goddard. "I'm incredibly proud of this team and
look forward to launching the mission's journey to Bennu and back."
Goddard provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and
safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Lockheed Martin Space
Systems built the spacecraft. Dante Lauretta of the University of
Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator. OSIRIS-REx is the third
mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages New Frontiers for the agency's
Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
For images, video, and more information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex
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