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NASA
Prepares to Launch First U.S. Asteroid Sample Return Mission
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Launch scheduled
for 7:05 p.m. EDT Thursday, Sept. 8
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Cape
Canaveral, FL � August 2016 / Newsmaker Alert / 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.
The
Origins, 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.�
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Artist�s conception of the
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at Bennu. (Credits: NASA/GSFC)
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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:
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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.
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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.
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Additionally,
the spacecraft has two systems that will enable the sample collection and
return:
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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.
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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:
NASA.gov/osiris-rex
and
AsteroidMission.org
Media
Contacts:
Dwayne
Brown / Laurie Cantillo
Headquarters,
Washington
202-358-1726
/ 202-358-1077
Nancy
Jones / Bill Steigerwald
Goddard
Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-0039
/ 301-286-5017 |
