Sampling An Asteroid

  • Released Thursday, August 4, 2016
View full credits
NASA is sending a robotic spacecraft to collect material from an asteroid and return it to Earth.

NASA is sending a robotic spacecraft to collect material from an asteroid and return it to Earth.

In September 2016, NASA will launch the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which will travel to a near-Earth asteroid to obtain a pristine sample of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The target, called Bennu, is a primitive asteroid thought to contain molecules that may have been the precursors to life on our planet. When it arrives at Bennu in 2018, OSIRIS-REx will spend a year surveying the asteroid with a suite of scientific instruments. The data that's collected will allow scientists to create detailed maps that show the relative abundance of minerals and other materials across Bennu’s surface. Once a site suitable for sampling is identified, the spacecraft will slowly approach the asteroid and use a device attached to a mechanical arm to extract at least 2 ounces and up to 4.4 pounds of surface material. The sample from Bennu will be delivered to Earth in 2023. Watch the video to learn more.

Find out more about the OSIRIS-REx mission and its exploration of asteroid Bennu in this video.

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will use several instruments to map Bennu's surface and study its composition when it arrives in 2018.

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will use several instruments to map Bennu's surface and study its composition when it arrives in 2018.

The spacecraft is equipped with a mechanical arm to make contact with the asteroid and obtain a sample from the surface.

The spacecraft is equipped with a mechanical arm to make contact with the asteroid and obtain a sample from the surface.

A sampling device attached to the arm will release a burst of nitrogen gas, directing loose rocks and soil into its collection chamber.

A sampling device attached to the arm will release a burst of nitrogen gas, directing loose rocks and soil into its collection chamber.

The sample will be stowed inside the spacecraft's sample return capsule in preparation for the two-and-a-half-year journey back to Earth.

The sample will be stowed inside the spacecraft's sample return capsule in preparation for the two-and-a-half-year journey back to Earth.

The capsule containing the sample will be released from the spacecraft and parachute to Earth's surface when OSIRIS-REx returns in 2023.

The capsule containing the sample will be released from the spacecraft and parachute to Earth's surface when OSIRIS-REx returns in 2023.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Thursday, August 4, 2016.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:48 PM EDT.