OSIRIS-REx team completes rehearsals for asteroid collection occurring later this month
On Sept. 24, an asteroid capsule from the OSIRIS-REx mission is set to touch down in Utah.
The team, including researchers with the University of Arizona, wrapped up a series of rehearsals last week in recovering the capsule.
The team rehearsed dispensing a sample container from a helicopter at a drop zone in the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range.
A major goal of studying the sample is to understand the origin of organic compounds that may have led to life on Earth.
This means making sure every step of recovery of the asteroid has to be perfect, or else the sample could become contaminated with compounds found on our own planet.
Once the capsule containing the sample lands and is located, it will be flown to a clean room on the military range before being flown to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Afterward, its samples will be distributed to scientists worldwide.
