Hi everybody, and welcome back to another episode of the show where we discuss some of the most groundbreaking advancements in science and technology and contemplate the actual wonders of the universe. In today's episode, we're focusing on NASA's monumental achievement of completing its first ever sample return mission from an asteroid. The mission, named Osiris Rex, set the science capsule all the way to asteroid Benduin back, covering a journey of about 1.2
billion miles. Launched in 2016, the capsule reentered Earth's atmosphere at around 27,000 mph and has delivered several 100 grams of asteroid material, offering invaluable data that could help scientists understand our solar
system's earliest stages. Now, the capsule from Osiris Rex spacecraft made its grand reentry into Earth's atmosphere and finally landed in the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range. The landing site dimensions are about 30 miles by 8.5 miles, who's chosen primarily because of its status as the largest restricted airspace in the United States. This venue has also been used for previous NASA sample return mission such as Genesis and
Stardust, and the mission involved an incredible degree of precision. Sandra Freund, the Osiris Rex program manager, explained how the spacecraft had to navigate with remarkable accuracy to rendezvous with asteroid Bennu coming within just a meter of the target during the sample collection phase in 2020. And recovery teams promptly collect this sample from the Utah desert, initiating the Campsule's journey towards analysis and examination.
So why did NASA invest in a simple return mission from an asteroid? The principal investigator for Osiris Recht noted that scientists are keen to study trace organic molecule chemistry from the asteroid material. It's not about suggesting that life originated elsewhere. Rather, the idea is that essential building blocks of life, often referred to as organic compounds, might have been ferried to Earth by celestial bodies like asteroids.
And to adequately test this hypothesis, researchers need samples directly from these asteroids, like Bennu and previous meteorites were used. But they had limitations, such as the lack of information about their origin and the risk of contamination during their journey through Earth's atmosphere. And Osiris Rex offers pristine samples, providing an unparalleled opportunity for scientists to confirm or refute longstanded theories. And NASA isn't alone in this quest to bring back asteroid
samples. The Japanese space agency JAXA has already completed two such missions, Hayabusa and Hayabusa 2 in the latter managed to return around 5 grams of material from asteroid Ryugu in 2020. And unlike competitive races, researchers say that these missions are complementary. They work together, and both asteroids Ryugu and Bennu may look similar with their spinning top shapes, but they are different in size and color.
By examining the sample side by side, scientists can gain valuable insights into both the similarities and differences between these celestial bodies. And Loretta puts it this is not about two separate sample analysis programs, but rather a worldwide collective scientific endeavor. To comprehend Earth's formation, it's essential to scrutinize the
whole solar system. Planets and star systems form from collapsing gas clouds, which are represented by remnants found in the oldest asteroids and asteroid. Bennu is considered to be a snapshot of the solar system's early days, dating back approximately 4.5 billion years. And unlike Earth, which undergoes natural processes like erosion that wipe out the earliest history, asteroids like Venue serve as cosmic time capsules.
They hold the raw materials that predate even the oldest rocks on Earth, making them incredibly precious for scientific analysis. Osiris Rex has now brought a fragment of this early solar system history back to Earth, and researchers are eager to commence detailed investigations. And after successfully returning the sample, you might wonder what's next for the Osiris Rex
spacecraft. Well, it's got a new mission and a new name, Osiris Apex. The spacecraft will now set its sights on asteroid Apophis, which will make a close approach to Earth in the coming years, potentially even visible to the naked eye from specific locations. And Osiris Apex will be tasked with following Apophis around Earth, providing unique opportunity for additional groundbreaking scientific observations.
And As for the banning sample, it's going to be transported to Johnson Space Center in Houston, and within an hour and a half of the landing of this capsule, it was transported by helicopter to a temporary clean room set up in a hangar on the training range where it is now connected to a continuous flow of nitrogen. And getting a sample under a nitrogen purge, as scientists call it, was one of the Osiris Trexes team's most critical
tasks. And nitrogen is a gas that doesn't interact with most other chemicals, and a continuous flow of it into the sample container inside the capsule will keep out earthly contaminants to leave the sample pure for scientific
analysis. The return samples collected from Bennu will help scientists worldwide make discoveries to better understand planetary formation and the origin of organics and water that led to life on Earth, as well as benefit all of humanity by learning more about potentially hazardous asteroids. Now the Bennu sample is about 8.8 oz, or 250 grams, and it'll be transported in its unopened canister by aircraft and NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston
on Monday, September 25th. Curation scientists then will disassemble the canister, extract and weigh the sample, create an inventory of these rocks, dust in overtime, distribute pieces of Bennu to scientists all over the world. And this delivery of this asteroid sample, which is the first for the United States, went according to plan thanks to the massive effort of hundreds of people who remotely directed the spacecraft's journey since its launch September 8th, 2016.
And the team then guided it to arrive at Bennu December 3rd, 2018 and through the search for a safe sample collection site between 2019 and 2020 and sample collection on October 20th, 2020, and also during the return trip home on May 10th, 2021.
Now, after traveling billions of miles to Benu and back, the Osiris Rex spacecraft released its sample capsule towards Earth's atmosphere at 6:42 AM Eastern Time, and the spacecraft was 63,000 miles from Earth's surface at the time, about 1/3 the distance from the Earth to the Moon, traveling at 27,650 mph. The capsule pierced the atmosphere at 10:42 AM Eastern Time off the coast of California at an altitude of about 83 miles, and within 10 minutes it
landed on the military range. Along the way, 2 parachutes successfully deployed to stabilize and slow the capsule down to around 11 mph. Radar, infrared and optical instruments in the air and on the ground track the capsule to its landing coordinates inside a 36 by 8.5 mile area of the
range. Within several minutes, the recovery team was dispatched to the capsule's location to inspect it and also retrieve it. And the team found the capsule in really good shape at around 9:07 AM Eastern Time and or 11:07 AM Eastern Time. Excuse me. And then determined if it was safe to approach. And within 70 minutes they wrapped it up for a safe transport to a temporary clean room on the range where it remains under continuous supervision and a nitrogen
purge. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode today. If you enjoyed today's discussion and want to hear more like this, remember to hit the subscribe or the follow button on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribing is absolutely free and takes only a minute. So please, until next time, stay curious and keep exploring the cosmos and take care of each other and yourselves and I'll see you in the next one.