Planets and Moons  Universe  ID: 12322

Sampling An Asteroid

Story by NASA Viz Team | Visualizations by Chris Meaney Released on August 4, 2016
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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.
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Find out more about the OSIRIS-REx mission and its exploration of asteroid Bennu in this video.
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The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will use several instruments to map Bennu's surface and study its composition when it arrives in 2018.
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The spacecraft is equipped with a mechanical arm to make contact with the asteroid and obtain a sample from the surface.
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A sampling device attached to the arm will release a burst of nitrogen gas, directing loose rocks and soil into its collection chamber.
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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.
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The capsule containing the sample will be released from the spacecraft and parachute to Earth's surface when OSIRIS-REx returns in 2023.
 

Source Material

OSIRIS-REx Mission Overview

Related Stories

Arrival at Bennu
OSIRIS-REx Technology: OVIRS
NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission

Story Credits

Lead Visualizer/Animator:
Chris Meaney (HTSI)

Visualizers/Animators:
Tyler Chase (USRA)
Chris Smith (Self)

Video Editor:
Dan Gallagher (USRA)

Narrator:
Dan Gallagher (USRA)

Producer:
Dan Gallagher (USRA)

Scientist:
Jason Dworkin (NASA/GSFC)

Videographer:
Chris Smith (Self)

Lead Writer:
NASA Viz Team

Writers:
Elizabeth Zubritsky (ADNET)
Sarah Schlieder (NASA/GSFC)

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

Short URL to share this page:
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12322

Keywords:
SVS >> App
NASA Science >> Planets and Moons
NASA Science >> Universe