A NASA-made spacecraft following one of Earth's closest large asteroids named Bennu is scheduled to return to Earth with rock and dust samples for research.
NASA explained that on Tuesday (11/5), the vehicle called Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) had exerted full energy for seven minutes on Monday (10/5), to stay away from Bennu with speed of nearly 1,000 km per hour to Earth which is estimated to take 2.5 years.
OSIRIS-REx arrived in Bennu on 3 December 2018 and then followed him to carry out a series of missions and research. The aircraft, which has obtained about 60 grams of Bennu's surface material, is estimated to arrive on Earth on September 24, 2023.
NASA explains that OSIRIS-REx will take advantage of the thrust of the engine to orbit the sun in the orbit of Venus. After circling the sun twice and then heading to Earth, the capsule containing Bennu's surface samples will be released from the plane, then enter the Earth's atmosphere.
The capsule parachute is said to aid targeted landings in the Utah Test and Training Range.
"The team faces challenges, and now we have a primordial part of our solar system heading back to Earth where many generations of researchers can unlock secrets," said NASA associate science administrator Thomas Zurbuchen.
Quoted from Reuters, OSIRIS-REx reportedly landed for the first time on the surface of Bennu in 2018. The spacecraft found traces of hydrogen and oxygen molecules on the surface of the asteroid rock.
NASA says the samples will be distributed to research laboratories around the world. But 75 percent of the samples will be stored at the Johnson Space Center to be studied with technology that has never been created.
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