Posted on 09/23/2023 5:09:54 PM PDT by Islander7
Early morning on Sunday, Sept. 24, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s sample capsule will come face-to-face with Earth’s atmosphere for the first time since the mission’s 2016 launch. On board are an estimated 8.8 ounces, or 250 grams, of rocky material collected from the surface of Bennu in 2020 – NASA’s first asteroid sample and the largest ever collected in space.
When it approaches Earth, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft won’t slow down as it makes its sample drop-off. Instead, when it reaches 63,000 miles (or 102,000 kilometers) above Earth’s surface – about one-third the distance from Earth to the Moon – a message from operators on the ground will trigger the capsule’s release and the capsule will be sent spinning toward the atmosphere below. Twenty minutes after the drop-off, the spacecraft will fire its thrusters to divert past Earth toward asteroid Apophis, where it will continue investigating our solar system under a new name: OSIRIS-APEX (OSIRIS-Apophis Explorer).
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.nasa.gov ...
Very cool! Love the reuse - thank you sir may I have another?
With all due respect, NASA is a religious organization.
Be careful SG1, that Apophis character is a piece of work.
Is it landing in Piedmont, Arizona? Better make sure Wildfire is ready.
I saw this movie.
L
Maybe next time NASA should use FedEx or UPS-or just order their samples from Amazon, since it took 3 years for that merchandise to arrive-they obviously used USPS-lucky their stuff didn’t get lost...
Their parachute dropping of the samples is retro 1960’s-70’s parachute dropping of satellite film.
I think the film recovery program from Corona at around 400 miles up is a lot easier that dropping that package off at 63000 miles.
Was that the one with Steve McQueen ? or the one with The Green Slime?
Either hyperventilate or get drunk.
Impressive was the in air recovery by aircraft.
Very true. Thanks to Obama, NASA’s number one mission os to help Muslims feel good about themselves.
It’s the science…
There’s always that, but in this case I was referring to their worship of Osiris, et al.
Rusty Griswold: Ya’ got Asteroids?
Cousin Dale: Naw, but my dad does. Can’t even sit on the toilet some days.
Neither. It was The Andromeda Strain.
L
I like the ones where the monster is larger than a virus, like the Japanese one Dogora which starts out with TV satellites being taken out.
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