Video Shows NASA Probe Dispatching Asteroid Sample Capsule to Earth
A view from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft as it dropped off its sample canister on September 24.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft had been carrying precious cargo for nearly three years before dropping it off in the Utah desert. As it bid farewell to its rock and dust samples from asteroid Bennu, the spacecraft captured a departing shot of its Earth-bound package as it headed off to another asteroid.
Read more
A Woman Was Denied Medication for Being of ‘Childbearing Age.’ She Just Sued the Hospital
On-campus pregame shows are the latest casualty of college football’s ‘evolution’
Everybody Hates This YouTube Channel’s AI-Filtered Video Game Faces
Just 24 hours before its release, OSIRIS-REx’s StowCam camera captured the above image of the sample return capsule while it was still attached to the spacecraft’s instrument deck on September 23 at 10:37 a.m. ET.
In a dramatic “after” photo, the capsule containing the asteroid sample can be seen completely charred from its journey through Earth’s atmosphere. The sample performed a parachute-assisted landing at the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range, where it had to land within a 37-mile by 9-mile ellipse (59 km by 15 km) about an hour and 13 minutes after it was released by the spacecraft.
OSIRIS-REx launched in September 2016 and reached asteroid Bennu in December 2018. The spacecraft spent nearly two years observing the space rock before landing on Bennu and snagging a sample from its surface in October 2020. On May 10, 2021, OSIRIS-REx bid farewell to Bennu and began making its way back home to drop off its precious cargo.
It’s been a little over a week since the asteroid sample landed on Earth and its journey is already starting to pay off. Scientists disassembling the sample canister found an abundance of debris from the asteroid, suggesting that OSIRIS-REx grabbed more bits from Bennu than anticipated.
The spacecraft itself, on the other hand, is on its way towards its next mission, exploring asteroid Apophis. Accordingly, the mission will be renamed to OSIRIS-APEX (OSIRIS-Apophis Explorer).
For more spaceflight in your life, follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and bookmark Gizmodo’s dedicated Spaceflight page.
More from Gizmodo
Armed Biker Who Attacked A Philly Woman Was Turned In By His Boss: Police
$24 Million In Public Funds Meant To Save The Queen Mary Disappear In Bankruptcy Court
CD Projekt Red Spent Over $120 Million Saving Cyberpunk 2077’s Reputation
Sign up for Gizmodo's Newsletter. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
