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Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REX)

Viewing Posts from July 2023

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    NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Adjusts Course to Get Closer to Earth

    On July 26, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft fired its engines for about 63 seconds to slightly thrust itself onto a course closer to Earth. Preliminary tracking data indicates OSIRIS-REx changed its velocity, which includes speed and direction, by 1.3 miles, or 2 kilometers, per hour. It's a tiny but critical shift; without course adjustments like this …

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    Here’s What Asteroid Sample Recovery Will Look Like

    Two people, wearing caps, sunglasses, and latex gloves, are bent on their knees over a sandy surface. One is holding a small, plastic baggie, while the other is scooping some sand. Another person, with only an elbow and part of the right leg visible, hovers over them in the left-hand side of the image, taking a photo.

    On July 18-20, the team behind NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission rehearsed recovering a mock sample return capsule from the location where the real one, with fragments of asteroid Bennu, will land on Sept. 24: the Utah desert. Though the team has rehearsed portions of the recovery operation many times this year, this was the most realistic …

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    Practicing the Game-Winning Asteroid Sample Catch

    Five people approach a brown and white capsule sitting on a grassy field.

    The capsule looked like something from a 1960s sci-fi flick. Resting on the ground, slightly tilted, its white heat shield flaked off in places, it looked how one would expect after speeding in from outer space and streaking across the sky like a shooting star. Despite its appearance, the mini-fridge-sized object had, in fact, never …

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