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Hi everybody, and welcome back 
to another episode of the show 

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where we discuss some of the 
most groundbreaking advancements

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in science and technology and 
contemplate the actual wonders 

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of the universe. 
In today's episode, we're 

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focusing on NASA's monumental 
achievement of completing its 

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first ever sample return mission
from an asteroid. 

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The mission, named Osiris Rex, 
set the science capsule all the 

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way to asteroid Benduin back, 
covering a journey of about 1.2 

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billion miles. 
Launched in 2016, the capsule 

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reentered Earth's atmosphere at 
around 27,000 mph and has 

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delivered several 100 grams of 
asteroid material, offering 

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invaluable data that could help 
scientists understand our solar 

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system's earliest stages. 
Now, the capsule from Osiris Rex

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spacecraft made its grand 
reentry into Earth's atmosphere 

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and finally landed in the 
Department of Defense's Utah 

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Test and Training Range. 
The landing site dimensions are 

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about 30 miles by 8.5 miles, 
who's chosen primarily because 

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of its status as the largest 
restricted airspace in the 

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United States. 
This venue has also been used 

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for previous NASA sample return 
mission such as Genesis and 

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Stardust, and the mission 
involved an incredible degree of

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precision. 
Sandra Freund, the Osiris Rex 

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program manager, explained how 
the spacecraft had to navigate 

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with remarkable accuracy to 
rendezvous with asteroid Bennu 

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coming within just a meter of 
the target during the sample 

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collection phase in 2020. 
And recovery teams promptly 

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collect this sample from the 
Utah desert, initiating the 

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Campsule's journey towards 
analysis and examination. 

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So why did NASA invest in a 
simple return mission from an 

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asteroid? 
The principal investigator for 

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Osiris Recht noted that 
scientists are keen to study 

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trace organic molecule chemistry
from the asteroid material. 

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It's not about suggesting that 
life originated elsewhere. 

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Rather, the idea is that 
essential building blocks of 

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life, often referred to as 
organic compounds, might have 

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been ferried to Earth by 
celestial bodies like asteroids.

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And to adequately test this 
hypothesis, researchers need 

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samples directly from these 
asteroids, like Bennu and 

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previous meteorites were used. 
But they had limitations, such 

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as the lack of information about
their origin and the risk of 

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contamination during their 
journey through Earth's 

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atmosphere. 
And Osiris Rex offers pristine 

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samples, providing an 
unparalleled opportunity for 

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scientists to confirm or refute 
longstanded theories. 

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And NASA isn't alone in this 
quest to bring back asteroid 

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samples. 
The Japanese space agency JAXA 

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has already completed two such 
missions, Hayabusa and Hayabusa 

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2 in the latter managed to 
return around 5 grams of 

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material from asteroid Ryugu in 
2020. 

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And unlike competitive races, 
researchers say that these 

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missions are complementary. 
They work together, and both 

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asteroids Ryugu and Bennu may 
look similar with their spinning

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top shapes, but they are 
different in size and color. 

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By examining the sample side by 
side, scientists can gain 

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valuable insights into both the 
similarities and differences 

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between these celestial bodies. 
And Loretta puts it this is not 

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about two separate sample 
analysis programs, but rather a 

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worldwide collective scientific 
endeavor. 

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To comprehend Earth's formation,
it's essential to scrutinize the

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whole solar system. 
Planets and star systems form 

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from collapsing gas clouds, 
which are represented by 

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remnants found in the oldest 
asteroids and asteroid. 

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Bennu is considered to be a 
snapshot of the solar system's 

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early days, dating back 
approximately 4.5 billion years.

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And unlike Earth, which 
undergoes natural processes like

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erosion that wipe out the 
earliest history, asteroids like

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Venue serve as cosmic time 
capsules. 

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They hold the raw materials that
predate even the oldest rocks on

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Earth, making them incredibly 
precious for scientific 

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analysis. 
Osiris Rex has now brought a 

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fragment of this early solar 
system history back to Earth, 

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and researchers are eager to 
commence detailed 

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investigations. 
And after successfully returning

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the sample, you might wonder 
what's next for the Osiris Rex 

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spacecraft. 
Well, it's got a new mission and

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a new name, Osiris Apex. 
The spacecraft will now set its 

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sights on asteroid Apophis, 
which will make a close approach

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to Earth in the coming years, 
potentially even visible to the 

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naked eye from specific 
locations. 

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And Osiris Apex will be tasked 
with following Apophis around 

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Earth, providing unique 
opportunity for additional 

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groundbreaking scientific 
observations. 

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And As for the banning sample, 
it's going to be transported to 

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Johnson Space Center in Houston,
and within an hour and a half of

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the landing of this capsule, it 
was transported by helicopter to

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a temporary clean room set up in
a hangar on the training range 

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where it is now connected to a 
continuous flow of nitrogen. 

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And getting a sample under a 
nitrogen purge, as scientists 

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call it, was one of the Osiris 
Trexes team's most critical 

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tasks. 
And nitrogen is a gas that 

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doesn't interact with most other
chemicals, and a continuous flow

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of it into the sample container 
inside the capsule will keep out

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earthly contaminants to leave 
the sample pure for scientific 

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analysis. 
The return samples collected 

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from Bennu will help scientists 
worldwide make discoveries to 

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better understand planetary 
formation and the origin of 

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organics and water that led to 
life on Earth, as well as 

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benefit all of humanity by 
learning more about potentially 

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hazardous asteroids. 
Now the Bennu sample is about 

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8.8 oz, or 250 grams, and it'll 
be transported in its unopened 

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canister by aircraft and NASA's 
Johnson Space Center in Houston 

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on Monday, September 25th. 
Curation scientists then will 

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disassemble the canister, 
extract and weigh the sample, 

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create an inventory of these 
rocks, dust in overtime, 

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distribute pieces of Bennu to 
scientists all over the world. 

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And this delivery of this 
asteroid sample, which is the 

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first for the United States, 
went according to plan thanks to

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the massive effort of hundreds 
of people who remotely directed 

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the spacecraft's journey since 
its launch September 8th, 2016. 

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And the team then guided it to 
arrive at Bennu December 3rd, 

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2018 and through the search for 
a safe sample collection site 

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between 2019 and 2020 and sample
collection on October 20th, 

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2020, and also during the return
trip home on May 10th, 2021. 

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Now, after traveling billions of
miles to Benu and back, the 

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Osiris Rex spacecraft released 
its sample capsule towards 

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Earth's atmosphere at 6:42 AM 
Eastern Time, and the spacecraft

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was 63,000 miles from Earth's 
surface at the time, about 1/3 

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the distance from the Earth to 
the Moon, traveling at 27,650 

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mph. 
The capsule pierced the 

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atmosphere at 10:42 AM Eastern 
Time off the coast of California

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at an altitude of about 83 
miles, and within 10 minutes it 

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landed on the military range. 
Along the way, 2 parachutes 

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successfully deployed to 
stabilize and slow the capsule 

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down to around 11 mph. 
Radar, infrared and optical 

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instruments in the air and on 
the ground track the capsule to 

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its landing coordinates inside a
36 by 8.5 mile area of the 

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range. 
Within several minutes, the 

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recovery team was dispatched to 
the capsule's location to 

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inspect it and also retrieve it.
And the team found the capsule 

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in really good shape at around 
9:07 AM Eastern Time and or 

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11:07 AM Eastern Time. 
Excuse me. 

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And then determined if it was 
safe to approach. 

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And within 70 minutes they 
wrapped it up for a safe 

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transport to a temporary clean 
room on the range where it 

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remains under continuous 
supervision and a nitrogen 

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purge. 
Thank you so much for tuning 

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into this episode today. 
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So please, until next time, stay

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cosmos and take care of each 

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