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NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returns samples from asteroid Bennu to Earth, aiming to reveal the chemistry of early solar system and aid planetary defense.
Key Takeaways
- Bennu's samples may reveal how the early solar system formed and how organic building blocks of life arrived on Earth.
- Studying near-Earth asteroids is vital both for science and for planetary defense.
- Spacecraft exploration reveals phenomena, such as particle ejection, that ground telescopes cannot observe.
- Autonomous robotic systems are essential for operations on distant bodies due to communication delays.
What the video covers
- NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, launched in 2016, is returning to Earth with material collected from the asteroid Bennu.
- The capsule is due to land in the Utah desert on September 24, 2023, with recovery teams and helicopters staged to retrieve it.
- OSIRIS-REx is the largest sampling mission NASA has attempted since the Apollo missions.
- Bennu is a near-Earth asteroid, roughly the width of several soccer fields, and is considered a potential long-term impact risk.
- The asteroid is one of the blackest objects in the solar system, likely covered in carbon-rich organic material.
- The spacecraft set two Guinness World Records: orbiting the smallest body ever and achieving the closest orbit to a planetary body.
- Scientists observed particles being ejected from Bennu, a phenomenon only visible from a spacecraft.
- Bennu's surface was found to be covered in massive rocky boulders, complicating the selection of a safe sampling site.
- Because of the roughly 18-minute signal delay, the spacecraft used an autonomous visual recognition system to navigate and collect the sample.
- The sample capsule is released four hours before landing, then enters the atmosphere and descends by parachute.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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thank you these scientists are preparing for a very special guest from outer space they're practicing every detail of how they'll handle NASA's very first sample return Mission from an asteroid you can start loading and then we'll be in the
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A spacecraft is heading back to Earth. It's been on a mission in space for over seven years, and it's bringing back something extraordinary. This could be a brand new window on the chemistry as the Earth was forming.
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it'll be dropping off a capsule containing material from the asteroid bennu the capsule will be monitored by a number of assets including infrared Imaging and tracking The Landing lips is generous and even if it doesn't hit the dead center of that lips there's still
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Thank you. These scientists are preparing for a very special guest from outer space. They're practicing every detail of how they'll handle NASA's very first sample return mission from an asteroid. You can start loading, and then we'll be in the air already. So this is all the autonomous we have. Several teams are ready to collect the sample capsule in the lands. We have four helicopters staged to retrieve it rapidly.
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that faced them nor what wonders lay in store [Music] osiris-rex is the largest sampling mission that NASA has attempted since the Apollo missions the mission set out to find out what bennu is made of probe has made many observations on site
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On September 24th, 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is due to reach Earth. It'll be dropping off a capsule containing material from the asteroid Bennu. The capsule will be monitored by a number of assets, including infrared imaging and tracking. The landing ellipse is generous, and even if it doesn't hit the dead center of that ellipse, there's still plenty of space within the safety zone.
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bodies yes we can see them from the ground we can use telescopes but actually going and visiting them exploring them both for Science and planetary defense is vitally important destroyed bennu is a time capsule containing pristine material that's been
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Weight turns to nervous excitement and anticipation as the days count down to re-entry and landing in the Utah desert. The OSIRIS-REx mission set out in 2016 to explore the asteroid Bennu. Scientists had no idea of the challenge that faced them, nor what wonders lay in store.
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with carbon material Organics the building blocks of life it may give Clues as to what triggered life on our planet cause bennu is a near-earth asteroid scientists have other important reasons to study it the asteroid bennu which is what we
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OSIRIS-REx is the largest sampling mission that NASA has attempted since the Apollo missions. The mission set out to find out what Bennu is made of. The probe has made many observations on site and is heading back with samples in tow for further analysis.
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potential future risk to the Earth the sun heats one side of the asteroid turning it into a low intensity Thruster and altering its course by 300 miles a year based on ground observations NASA estimates it has less than one percent
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The nature of the universe, the nature of the solar system, provides lots and lots of wonders. So this is one of the reasons why we send spacecraft out to these bodies. Yes, we can see them from the ground. We can use telescopes, but actually going and visiting them, exploring them, both for science and planetary defense, is vitally important.
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they're spread out through our entire solar system and they're all different from each other they have this library of information about how our solar system formed very very rich and highly varied and we're just starting to understand them
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Bennu is a time capsule containing pristine material that's been untouched for four and a half billion years. It left the asteroid belt millions of years ago and drifted toward the Sun. Asteroid Bennu is interesting because it's one of the blackest objects in the solar system, so we think it's covered with carbon material, organics, the building blocks of life. It may give clues as to what triggered life on our planet.
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fruition of all these years of work the time it took to develop the concept build and test it launch it and then finally get there it's you know been a long journey but it's just so fulfilling to finally get data
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Because Bennu is a near-Earth asteroid, scientists have other important reasons to study it. The asteroid Bennu, which is what we think of as quite a small star, is just as wide as a number of soccer fields back to back. It is an Earth-crossing asteroid of a family called the Apollo asteroids, so it is actually a potential future risk to the Earth.
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mapping the asteroid trying to find a suitable spot to get samples of the surface in doing so the spacecraft set two Guinness World Records first by orbiting the smallest body ever and second for the closest orbit of a spacecraft to a
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The Sun heats one side of the asteroid, turning it into a low-intensity thruster and altering its course by 300 miles a year. Based on ground observations, NASA estimates it has less than a one percent chance of hitting our planet, but scientists hope the mission will help them learn more about protecting ourselves if necessary.
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scientific event is there something to do with the composition of bennu what it's made of is there maybe water or something else that's driving that or is it due to some type of thermal cracking if you will and
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There are over one million asteroids in our solar system, and of those, tens of thousands are deemed near-Earth objects. They're spread out through our entire solar system, and they're all different from each other. They have this library of information about how our solar system formed, very rich and highly varied, and we're just starting to understand them.
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natural satellite ejecting some material that then returns to the surface scientifically it's very very interesting so again we would never have seen this from ground-based observations you can only see them from a spacecraft investigation close examination of bennu has revealed
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After launch, OSIRIS-REx made a complete revolution of the Sun and used Earth's gravity to send it on a trajectory to Bennu. After traveling for months, the spacecraft catches sight of a celestial body only 500 meters across. Bennu. It's just so exciting to see the fruition of all these years of work. The time it took to develop the concept, build and test it, launch it, and then finally get there. It's been a long journey, but it's just so fulfilling to finally get data.
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kind of thermal water sources like the hot fence in the depths of our oceans so this this speaks to the beauty of exploration it's like wherever we go we're constantly surprised after a year of observing the asteroid from a safe distance in orbit
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When the mission sent its first images back to NASA, they were not what the team expected. They turned out to be massive rocky boulders. The first issue we had was trying to figure out where the best and safest place to land was. The OSIRIS-REx team spent months mapping the asteroid, trying to find a suitable spot to get samples of the surface. In doing so, the spacecraft set two Guinness World Records: first, by orbiting the smallest body ever, and second, for the closest orbit of a spacecraft to a planetary body.
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you cannot joystick down to the surface you would crash osiris-rex is equipped with an autonomous visual recognition system which allows it to control its trajectory the spacecraft is a computer it's a robot it can think for itself and
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Finally, the onboard instruments revealed several potential sampling spots, and the team named one of them Nightingale. One of the things we saw was that there were actually particles periodically being ejected from Bennu, and that's a very interesting scientific event. Is there something to do with the composition of Bennu, what it's made of? Is there maybe water or something else that's driving that? Or is it due to some type of thermal cracking, if you will, sending particles out as ejected rocks?
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touch down very quickly and then lift off again it takes about a few seconds so you minimize the chances of things going wrong like tipping over running into a rock it'll now take 18 minutes for proof of success to reach NASA head
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Sometimes these rocks stay in orbit for several hours. Their trajectories allowed scientists to model Bennu's gravity field. With OSIRIS-REx's close orbit and onboard instruments, it captured, for the first time ever, the life cycle of a natural satellite ejecting some material that then returns to the surface. Scientifically, it's very interesting. So again, we would never have seen this from ground-based observations. You can only see them from a spacecraft.
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a painstaking process of tucking the sample collection container into a safe position they must move quickly as a grain of asteroid dust could obstruct the Seal of the metallic Cork and Sample material is escaping months of orbital surveying and
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Investigation and close examination of Bennu has revealed another surprise. A number of bright rocks scattered across its surface have come from a completely different asteroid. Bennu is a fragment of a much larger celestial body. Some boulders hold mineral deposits that suggest Bennu's parent body had some kind of thermal water source, like the hot vents in the depths of our oceans. This speaks to the beauty of exploration. Wherever we go, we're constantly surprised.
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four hours before the Caps would land on the ground these sample return capsule was released from the spacecraft the example turn capsule then enters the Earth's atmosphere and slows down with its heat shield and then lands by Parachute on the ground in
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After a year of observing the asteroid from a safe distance in orbit, the probe moved to obtain a sample. Bennu is about two million miles away from Earth, so when a radio signal is sent, it takes 18 minutes to reach OSIRIS-REx. The round-trip lifetime is still significant, so you cannot joystick down to the surface. You would crash. OSIRIS-REx is equipped with an autonomous visual recognition system, which allows it to control its trajectory. The spacecraft is a computer. It's a robot. It can think for itself and get down to the surface.
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that's brought into a clean room in Utah at the training range and the back shell and the heat shield is removed we have this this multi-layer protection of the sample and that we can make sure that it doesn't get contaminated by terrestrial
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Thrusters allow the probe to navigate with the precision of a few inches per second. The landing sequence, or the touchdown, is very quick. It's not so much landing per se. You touch down very quickly and then lift off again. It takes about a few seconds, so you minimize the chances of things going wrong, like tipping over or running into a rock. It'll now take 18 minutes for proof of success to reach NASA headquarters.
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canister is then wrapped up and brought to Houston where that inner capsule was then opened up so we can get access to the actual sample and then look at the individual rocks that we got and then the real science begins
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[Applause]
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the ability to look at the isotopic ratio it tells you something about how that molecule formed in space from what processes even the first look promises new discovery and will help direct further study within a couple days of sample
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Ahead, images beamed back to the control room reveal that OSIRIS-REx has gathered a larger sample than expected and is spewing an excess of flaky asteroid material into space. Ground control has to undertake the highly risky stowage phase, a painstaking process of tucking the sample collection container into a safe position. They must move quickly, as a grain of asteroid dust could obstruct the seal of the metallic cork, and sample material is escaping.
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could be a brand new window on the chemistry of as the Earth was forming in addition a new understanding of asteroids can also help us to better prepare and deflect future impacts with Earth keep in mind that these missions are
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Months of orbital surveying and rehearsals led to sample collection, which was finally made. The probe began its return to Earth in May of 2021. The spacecraft is now on an approach toward Earth, and OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to rendezvous with Earth on September 24, 2023. Four hours before the capsule lands on the ground, the sample return capsule is released from the spacecraft. The sample return capsule then enters Earth's atmosphere and slows down with its heat shield, then lands by parachute on the ground in the Utah desert.
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operate how to characterize these objects learn about these type of objects that may be a threat to Earth in the future initial analysis will take about two years however the majority of the samples will remain for further research by Future
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Preparation and training for this momentous event, nearly 20 years in the making, requires many different teams responsible for everything from tracking the capsule to making sure the samples inside are not contaminated. So once the capsule is on the ground, it is recovered and brought into a clean r
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the beauties of sample return stories played in the formation of planets and free of organic material to Earth that may have ultimately led to life it's been a lifelong passion to try and understand how things start how Life
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Starts we're looking at meteorite stuff to understand the early solar system and how that chemistry four and a half billion years ago tell us about what could have happened on the early Earth the osiris-rex mission has already delivered breakthroughs and set records
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it imaged an asteroid in space better than we've captured Earth the moon or any other Celestial body imagine what new Secrets the samples will reveal [Music]
Topics:OSIRIS-RExBennuasteroid sample returnNASAnear-Earth asteroidplanetary defensesolar system formationorganic materialspace explorationUtah desert landing
