The significance of this event cannot be understated. Scientists are eagerly awaiting the retrieval of approximately a half pound (250 grams) of pebbles and dust from Bennu. This quantity far surpasses the mere teaspoonful of material brought back by Japan from two other asteroids. These extraterrestrial samples serve as preserved time capsules from the early days of our solar system, carrying invaluable information about the formation of Earth and the origins of life itself.

Upon its anticipated landing on Sunday, the Osiris-Rex mission will conclude a remarkable 4 billion-mile (6.2-billion-kilometer) journey, filled with thrilling moments such as the standout encounter with the carbon-rich Bennu and the unique pogo stick-style touchdown and sample collection. There were even tense moments when a lid malfunction resulted in some of the captured material escaping into space. Nevertheless, this mission will mark NASA’s first successful retrieval of asteroid samples.

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The Long Journey

The Osiris-Rex spacecraft embarked on its $1 billion mission in 2016, journeying to Bennu and arriving in 2018. Over the next two years, the spacecraft meticulously studied the small spinning space rock to identify the optimal location for obtaining samples. In a remarkable feat three years ago, Osiris-Rex’s vacuum-equipped 11-foot (3-meter) arm briefly touched the surface of Bennu and successfully collected dust and pebbles. However, due to the sheer amount of material retrieved, rocks became lodged around the lid’s rim, causing some samples to escape into space. Nonetheless, meticulous efforts have been made to secure the remaining samples within the capsule, the precise amount of which will only be determined upon opening.

Asteroid Bennu

Bennu, discovered in 1999, is believed to be a fragment of a much larger asteroid resulting from a collision with another space rock. With a diameter of barely one-third of a mile (half a kilometer), comparable to the height of the Empire State Building, Bennu’s dark and rugged surface is replete with boulders. This spinning-top-like asteroid orbits the sun every 14 months while rotating every four hours. Scientists surmise that Bennu holds remnants from the solar system’s formation 4.5 billion years ago. Moreover, there is an intriguing possibility that Bennu might pose a threat to Earth, potentially striking our planet on September 24, 2182, exactly 159 years after the first pieces of the asteroid arrived. The comprehensive study of Bennu by the Osiris-Rex mission can help us develop strategies to deflect or mitigate such potential hazards, ensuring the safety of our planet for generations to come.

Game Day

On the eagerly anticipated day, Osiris-Rex will release the sample capsule from a distance of 63,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) when it is merely four hours away from landing on the Defense Department’s Utah Test and Training Range on a Sunday morning. The release command will be issued from Lockheed Martin’s control center in Colorado, the spacecraft’s manufacturer. Shortly thereafter, the mothership will veer away to explore another asteroid while the capsule hurtles towards Earth. During the capsule’s final 13 minutes of descent, it will reach speeds of 27,650 mph (44,500 kph), and only a main parachute will decelerate its plunge during the last mile (1.6 kilometers). This controlled descent will culminate in a gentle touchdown at 11 mph (18 kph). Following a thorough safety assessment, the sample capsule will be swiftly transported by helicopter to a temporary clean lab at the range. The following day, an aircraft will convey the securely sealed container filled with valuable rubble to Houston’s Johnson Space Center. NASA plans an exciting public unveiling of Bennu’s treasures on October 11.

Cleaner Than Clean

The Johnson Space Center’s new lab will be solely dedicated to handling the Bennu samples, ensuring there will be no contamination with other collections. NASA curator Kevin Righter emphasizes that the existing Building 31 already houses moon rocks collected by Apollo astronauts from 1969 to 1972, as well as comet dust, solar wind specks gathered during previous missions, and Mars meteorites found in Antarctica. Nitrogen-purging gloveboxes in the clean room will be used for handling the asteroid samples, and staff will be equipped with head-to-toe clean room suits. This meticulous approach guarantees the preservation and integrity of the Bennu materials. The world can anticipate an awe-inspiring revelation of Bennu’s riches on October 11.

Asteroid Autumn

This season, NASA is celebrating “Asteroid Autumn” with three significant milestones in asteroid exploration. Following the Osiris-Rex touchdown, another mission called Psyche will launch on October 5. Both the NASA spacecraft and its target, a metallic asteroid also named Psyche, share the same moniker. Approximately a month later, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will encounter its first asteroid since its successful launch from Cape Canaveral in 2021. On November 1, Lucy will swiftly fly by Dinkinesh, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This exciting encounter is a preview of Lucy’s ambitious expedition through the “Trojans,” swarms of asteroids that trail Jupiter in its orbit around the sun. Though Osiris-Rex’s subsequent assignment to explore the asteroid Apophis in 2029 will not involve collecting souvenirs, both Psyche and Lucy will conduct invaluable research without bringing back physical samples.

Other Sample Returns

This heralds NASA’s third sample return mission from deep space, excluding the hundreds of pounds (kilograms) of moon rocks retrieved by the Apollo astronauts. The agency’s inaugural robotic sample collection ended abruptly with an impact in 2004, when the capsule carrying solar wind particles crashed into the Utah desert and broke apart, impairing the samples. However, two years later, another U.S. capsule landed intact, containing valuable comet dust. In 2010, Japan’s first asteroid sample mission successfully returned microscopic grains obtained from asteroid Itokawa. The subsequent expedition yielded around 5 grams, equivalent to a teaspoonful, from the asteroid Ryugu in 2020. Additionally, during the 1970s, the Soviet Union transported lunar samples to Earth, while China accomplished the same milestone in 2020.

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