One of NASA’s future missions has passed an important point in its progress: from development to production, delivery and eventually, launch. The latter is expected to happen in late 2016. The mission’s goal is to land on an asteroid and return to Earth with sample material, which will be the first time this has been done. Its full name is Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) and will cost approximately $800 million.
The decision to move forward came after a number of independent tests which looked at both technical and financial aspects of the mission.
From here, production will begin on the spacecraft, and once completed, everything will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida later this year.
“After almost four years of intense design efforts, we are now proceeding with the start of flight system assembly. I am grateful for the hard work and team effort required to get us to this point.” said Dante Lauretta, who is the principal investigator of the mission.
OSIRIS-REx’s goal is centered on a particular local asteroid called Bennu, an Apollo, or near-Earth asteroid. Its proximity to Earth has led to speculations of a possible impact, and this make up a large reason OSIRIS-REx should make a visit.
Researchers expect to find molecules, both organic and inorganic, which went into the composition of Earth. One theory is that the organic molecules which started life on Earth were brought here by an asteroid. If true, this NASA mission could go a long way in validating that theory and helping to explain the initial origins of life.
The spacecraft will utilize five specialized instruments to remotely detect the structure and components of the asteroid and will bring back a 2 oz. sample for study on Earth.
After its 2016 launch, OSIRIS-REx will meet Bennu in 2018 and is expected to return to Earth by 2023.
Before we can get to that point, there is still a battery of tests to undergo. Called the Missions Operation Review, it will look over governance, navigation and planning to make sure that the administrative side of everything is moving along in line with production of the spacecraft.
This is not NASA’s only foray into Near Earth Objects (NEO). With over 12,000 objects identified, the administration is gaining solid ground to predict which asteroids post the greatest threat to life on Earth. Fortunately for the moment, there are no larger NEO’s near enough to call for a great possibility of impact.
