NASA Osiris-Rex spacecraft lands on asteroid Pennu in dust collection | Science

A NASA In order to collect a few cosmic debris for analysis on Earth, the spacecraft will successfully land on an asteroid and attract the size of buildings.

Preliminary reports suggest that the space agency team behind the Osiris-Rex project went as planned with the sample collection and that the spacecraft Pennu was launched from the surface.

Dante Loretta, a leading scientist at the University of Arizona, said: “I can not believe we actually pulled this. The spacecraft did everything it could.”

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstein congratulated: “We are returning the largest model brought home from space from Apollo. If all goes well, this model will be explored by scientists for generations to come. ”

The Osiris-Rex spacecraft confirmed brief contact with the asteroid Pennu at a distance of 200 m (322 m), drawing excitement from the mission team. But it may be a week before scientists know how much, if anything, they have captured and whether another attempt is needed. If successful, Osiris-Rex will return the models in 2023.

American work Japan follows a flow called Hayabusa 2, Which is expected to return to Earth in December, carrying samples collected from the 4.5 billion-year-old Riku. When it lands in the Australian desert, it will be the first sub-surface asteroid model to return to Earth.

In Penn, it took four and a half hours for the Osiris-Rex spacecraft to reach the surface from its tight orbit, following orders sent in advance by ground controllers near Denver.

Because the asteroid is 1,670 feet (510 m) across, the Osiris-Rex landing pen was very low. As a result, the spacecraft reached its 11-foot (3.4-meter) robotic arm and attempted to capture at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of penny.

Heather Enos, University of Arizona, co – scientist for the trip, described it as “kissing the surface with a small touch and measuring in seconds.”

The corona virus infection caused a two-month delay. The move was considered the most dangerous part of the operation on Tuesday, starting in 2016 from Cape Canaveral.

The Osiris-Rex, a van-sized spacecraft, aimed at a space equal to a few parking lots on Earth in the middle of the asteroid’s Nightingale abyss. After orbiting Penn for about two years, the spacecraft discovered that the location contained very large particles.

After determining that the beach was clear, Osiris-Rex closed the final few yards of the model. The spacecraft was designed to emit compressed nitrogen gas to shake the surface, and then absorb any loose pebbles or dust.

Scientists want the black, crumbling, carbon-rich material of the pen to contain 2 ounces (60 g) to 4 pounds (2 kg) of building blocks in our solar system.

Thomas Surbuchen, NASA’s chief scientific officer, compared Pennu to the Rosetta Stone, saying, “It tells the story of our entire planet’s solar system over the last billion years.”

Another advantage: Penn has a small chance of smashing the earth in the latter part of the next century, although this is not the end of life stopping a show. The more scientists know about the trajectories and properties of such dangerous space rocks, the better. Osiris-Rex can create three touch and go maneuvers if it gets shorter. No matter how many attempts are made, the models will not return to Earth until 2023 to close the 800 800 m-plus search. The sample capsule will parachute into the Utah desert.

“It’s going to be another big day for us, but it’s a totally important event right now,” said NASA scientist Lucy Lim.

Meanwhile, NASA plans to launch three more asteroid missions, all one-way missions, over the next two years.

With the Associated Press