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The OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission has garnered significant attention in the realm of space exploration, bringing back a valuable sample of comet material from the Borisov comet. As astronauts and scientists continue to research and analyze the sample’s composition, NASA is casting its gaze towards another valuable target: the asteroid 101955 Bennu, a near-Earth celestial body that has garnered ample attention due to its extraordinary composition and potential for colliding with our planet’s orbit.
<h2)section 1: The Launch and Journey of OSIRIS-REx-
Launched on September 8th, 2016, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft embarked upon a 4.7 billion-mile journey to obtain a sample from the remote asteroid Bennu. Throughout its 4-year exploration, the spacecraft has completed a series of fly-bys, capturing stunning 3D images of Benennu’s surface via its cameras and spectrogometers. In 2001, NASA’s orbiting spacecraft discovered Bennu, which was initially classed as a potentially deadly asteroid due to its small size and hazardous trajectory. As scientists dug deeper, they discovered some astonishing facts about Bennu: it’s a prime example of a carbon-based asteroid, which could supply valuable insights into the asteroid belt’s formation and growth.
Sampling the Borisov Comet?
On the 10th of 2020, OSIRIS-REx successfully took a sample of the Jupiter-family comet 67/P Churyumov Gerasimenko, one of the most well-connected comets in our outer solar system. The stunning sample, which weighs significantly less than a grain, is expected to provide considerable insights into the early times of our solar system creation. Scientists are eager to analyze the sample’s pristine composition, which could confirm or refute the prevailing planetary formation theories. The collection of the sample was initially planned for 2010, but the mission saw numerous delays due to multiple reasons, including the devastating loss of the spacecraft software and the COVID-2019 pandemic.
Section 3 Exploring Asteroid Bennu
Within the past few years NASA has made significant progress during the OSIRIS mission, capturing detailed images on the surface of Bennu. In 2010, NASA’s orbit had discovered the asteroid, estimating its size to be somewhat smaller than the state of Long Island. In 21, the OSIR-REx spacecraft had launched, with the mission starting in 2016 It has taken four years following the launch for the entire mission to reach its expected completion. In 11, the OSIR-SREx spacecraft had visited the asteroid, capturing countless images of its surface on the 3D visualizations. Scientists have managed to map the surface precisely, discovering the asteroid composed of a combination of primitive and more complex materials due to its surface composition.
Section 4 Research and Analysis
As scientists continue scrutinizing the sample, much remains to be discovered related to the early solar conditions. Scientists have been performing a series of experiments while analyzing the sample, analyzing the sample’s composition carefully. They have discovered more than 10, mostly organic compounds in the composite sample, including water from the comet’s surface from the sample. The material collected from the comet does not seem to be rich in organic compounds, primarily due to the comet dust and debris on the meteorite surface. Scientists further believe that the sample helps to better understand the distribution of organic compounds in primordial solar systems.
Research on the sample has involved a range of techniques both in the laboratory and in software. The scientists have done a series of experiments studying the sample, including surface analysis, X-ray Diffraction, and Scattered Light Spectroscopy X-ray Diffraction. During the process, they tried to determine the chemical signatures of the sample, hoping to learn more about carbon-based asteroids and their relationships to the solar system.
Section5: The Future of
As Osiris-REx awaits its return to Earth The mission is set to mark a significant milestone in celestial exploration. NASA has always been at the forefront by pushing the boundaries of discoveries and exploring the unknown boundaries of our solar system Further research on the sample samples will continue to provide numerous insights into the early state of our solar system with the potential to uncover several secrets.
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