The NASA spacecraft will return a sample from the distant asteroid to Earth on September 24.
OSIRIS-REx spent December 2018 to May 2021 observing Bennu, imaging it and taking measurements of its spin, shape, and makeup. Bennu’s rocky surface contains hints as to how the solar system formed, but observations of the object only do so much. Hence: the sample return project.
Besides being caught on candid camera, mission planners changed its course last week to correctly aim OSIRIS-REx towards the sample drop-off site on Earth. The spacecraft’s velocity was tweaked by about 0.5 miles per hour in order to ensure OSIRIS-REx would actually arrive on Earth, instead of sailing past our pale blue dot.
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