NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been examining the asteroid Bennu since arriving there in 2018, sharing photos of the distant body. But the craft did not just travel there to take pictures – it will also reach the surface of the asteroid and take a sample to return to Earth.
This week, OSIRIS-REx performed its final practice match ahead of its scheduled touchdown. The rehearsal lasted four hours, during which NASA engineers checked that the spacecraft could perform its functions as intended, checking its orbital departure fire, the “Checkpoint” fire, in which autonomous systems monitor and adjust the position and speed of the craft as needed to insert it in line with the asteroid, and the “Matchpoint” burning in which the craft corresponds to the speed of the asteroid, so that it can strike precisely and safely.
As part of the rehearsal, OSIRIS-REx also deployed its sampling arm, called the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), which it will use to pick up a sample of rock and dust from the asteroid’s surface.
“Many important systems were practiced during this rehearsal – from communications, spacecraft, and most importantly, the onboard natural function tracking system and hazard map,” OSIRIS-REx lead researcher Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, said in a statement. . “Now that we have completed this milestone, we are confident in finalizing the procedures for the TAG. [touch and go] barren. This rehearsal confirmed that the team and all spaceship systems are ready to collect a sample in October. ”
While rehearsing, the spacecraft was also able to collect some scientific data, including images of the asteroid and spectrometric observations. You can see some of the data captured in the video at the top of the page, which shows images taken by OSIRIS-REx’s SamCam camera when the spaceship surface of the asteroid approached. The images were taken in a period of less than 15 minutes, and during the rehearsal, the craft came within 131 feet of the asteroid’s surface.
With everything working and the rehearsal considered a success, OSIRIS-REx is ready to tackle the asteroid and take a sample on October 20, 2020. It will then return this sample to Earth for study, arriving on September 24, 2023.
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