Facts for Kids

OSIRIS-REx is a spacecraft launched by NASA on September 8, 2016. 🚀

Its mission is to explore an asteroid named Bennu, which is located about 200 million miles from Earth! 🌌

OSIRIS-REx stands for “Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer.” This fancy name means it wants to learn about the early days of our solar system and gather samples. The OSIRIS-REx team includes hundreds of scientists, engineers, and students from all around the world! 🌍

After collecting samples, OSIRIS-REx started its journey back to Earth on May 10, 2021. 🌍

It made a special maneuver to escape Bennu's gravity, which is much weaker than Earth’s. The spacecraft will take around two-and-a-half years to return, landing in Utah on September 24, 2023. 🗓

️ Can you imagine the excitement on landing day? Scientists are eager to see the samples! We can learn so much about asteroids and our universe from what the OSIRIS-REx brings back from Bennu. 🌌✨

Inspired by OSIRIS-REx's success, NASA and other countries plan more missions to explore asteroids and other celestial objects. 🌠

For example, the next NASA mission, called Psyche, will explore a metallic asteroid of the same name, scheduled for launch in 2023. 🛸

Other countries are also launching missions that will study asteroids, comets, and even Mars! 🌌

These future missions will help scientists learn more about the universe, the history of our solar system, and, maybe, even find life beyond Earth! 🌍✨

OSIRIS-REx collected samples from Bennu on October 20, 2020, using a special tool called TAG (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism). 😮

This tool worked like a giant vacuum cleaner! 🧹

When it landed on Bennu, it stirred up the surface dust and grabbed some of it. The goal was to collect at least 60 grams—about the weight of a small chocolate bar! 🍫

The spacecraft collected even more—nearly 400 grams! This was super exciting for scientists, as they are eager to study the samples and unlock the secrets of Bennu. 🔍

After being launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, OSIRIS-REx traveled far into space. 🌠

It used gravity from Earth and a visit to the Moon to speed up its journey. 🚀

On December 3, 2018, it reached asteroid Bennu, which is about 1,600 feet wide! 📏

Can you imagine how big that is? That's like stacking 4 football fields! 🏈

OSIRIS-REx carefully orbited the asteroid, taking pictures and gathering information before landing. The spacecraft also had to avoid large rocks and boulders on Bennu’s surface, making the journey an exciting challenge!

The main objectives of OSIRIS-REx are to collect samples from the surface of asteroid Bennu, return them to Earth, and study them. 🧑

‍🔬 Scientists hope to find clues about how the solar system formed. The mission aims to learn about the materials that could give life to our planet, and even to understand what might make asteroids dangerous to Earth! ☄

️ OSIRIS-REx will also map Bennu in detail. The spacecraft traveled for nearly 4 years to reach its destination and get ready for its big tasks!

The research from OSIRIS-REx’s samples can help us learn about how life began on Earth and how our planet evolved. 🌱

Scientists believe that asteroids like Bennu might contain organic materials, which are the building blocks of life! 🧬

By studying these samples, we can piece together information about the early solar system and how planets formed. 🌌

The mission also helps scientists better understand asteroid compositions. This knowledge can be important for getting ready for any future asteroid that could come close to Earth! 🚀

OSIRIS-REx is packed full of amazing instruments and technology! 🎛

️ It has cameras for taking high-resolution pictures, a laser altimeter to map the asteroid, and a spectrometer to analyze the chemical makeup of Bennu. 🔬

The spacecraft also features a series of thrusters that help it move around and orbit the asteroid safely. 🛰

️ There’s a special thermal blanket to keep the equipment balanced in extreme temperatures from -4°F to 176°F! 🌡

️ This advanced technology helped OSIRIS-REx successfully collect and return samples from space!

On September 24, 2023, OSIRIS-REx returned safely to Earth. 🌎

It landed in a special area in the Utah desert called the "Utah Test and Training Range." 🏜️ The landing capsule protected the precious samples from Bennu! Once it touched down, scientists used special vehicles to retrieve the capsule. 🛩

️ They carefully opened it to see the asteroid samples inside, sparking cheers and excitement! 🎉

The samples will be studied at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where scientists will learn tons about asteroids and possibly Earth’s origins!