NASA is working on its final preparations for the landing on Earth of a precious asteroid sample next month

NASA is in the midst of its last preparations for the upcoming Earth landing of a precious asteroid sample, scheduled for next month. As part of these preparations, NASA teams working on the OSIRIS-REx mission successfully conducted a crucial test on August 30. This test involved the retrieval of a mock capsule that had been dropped in the desert west of Salt Lake City at the Utah Test and Training Range, under the jurisdiction of the US Department of Defense.

This process was a significant component of the mission’s final major test before the actual capsule arrives on Earth, carrying a sample of the asteroid Bennu that was collected in space over a span of three years.

Nicola Fox, the associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, expressed confidence in the mission’s progress, stating, “We are now mere weeks away from receiving a piece of solar system history on Earth, and this successful drop test ensures we’re ready.” Fox further emphasized the scientific significance of this endeavor: “Pristine material from asteroid Bennu will help shed light on the formation of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago, and perhaps even on how life on Earth began.”

This recent drop test followed a series of practice runs conducted earlier in the spring and summer, which included exercises related to capsule retrieval, spacecraft engineering operations, and sample preservation processes.

With less than four weeks remaining until the spacecraft’s arrival, the OSIRIS-REx team is in the final stages of preparation. Dante Lauretta, the principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx at the University of Arizona, Tucson, expressed pride in the team’s efforts, stating, “I am immensely proud of the efforts our team has poured into this endeavor. Just as our meticulous planning and rehearsal prepared us to collect a sample from Bennu, we have honed our skills for sample recovery.”

NASA reported that approximately 8.8 ounces of rocky material were collected from the surface of the asteroid Bennu and loaded into the capsule in 2020. In the coming years, researchers will meticulously examine this sample to gain insights into the formation of our solar system, the Earth itself, and the genesis of organic materials that could have played a role in the emergence of life on our planet.

Rich Burns, the project manager for OSIRIS-REx at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, likened this phase of the mission to the final stretch of a marathon. He noted the coexistence of emotions like pride and joy with a determined focus on successfully completing the mission.