A NASA capsule carrying the largest soil sample ever collected from an asteroid is due to return to Earth on Sunday, expected to streak through the atmosphere and parachute into the Utah desert to deliver its celestial specimen to scientists.
The robotic spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to release the gumdrop-shaped capsule, transporting about a cup of gravelly asteroid material, at 6:42 a.m. EDT for a final descent to Earth, climaxing a seven-year voyage.
OSIRIS-REx collected its specimen from Bennu, a small, carbon-rich asteroid discovered in 1999 and classified as a "near-Earth object" because it passes relatively close to our planet every six years, though the odds of an impact are considered remote. The spacecraft departed Bennu in May 2021 for a 1.2-billion-mile cruise back to Earth, including two orbits around the sun. If mission control commands the release of the sample-return capsule as planned, it will be jettisoned within 67,000 miles of Earth for the final leg of its return flight.
The Bennu sample is estimated at 250 grams , far surpassing the 5 grams of material carried back from Ryugu in 2020 or the tiny specimen delivered from asteroid Itokawa in 2010.
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
Similar News:Você também pode ler notícias semelhantes a esta que coletamos de outras fontes de notícias.
What time is NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return capsule landing on Sept. 24?Each second of the capsule's descent has been calculated in anticipation for NASA's first asteroid sample return mission.
Consulte Mais informação »
ESA telescope reveals first view of OSIRIS-REx's returnThe capsule will parachute down to a landing site in the Utah desert on September 24.
Consulte Mais informação »
A 7-year journey to deliver an asteroid sample to Earth will soon end in UtahThis week, watch an asteroid sample return to Earth, learn why giant pandas have “jet lag,” see a 2,000-year-old child’ shoe and more.
Consulte Mais informação »
Why Utah was chosen as landing spot for first-of-its-kind NASA missionA 7-year NASA mission will come to a close in the Utah desert Sunday when Osiris-REx returns to Earth.
Consulte Mais informação »
NASA's first asteroid sample on track for Sunday parachute landing in UtahA NASA space capsule carrying a sample of rocky material plucked from the surface of an asteroid three years ago hurtled toward Earth this weekend headed for a fiery plunge through the atmosphere and a parachute landing in the Utah desert on Sunday.
Consulte Mais informação »