At the end of the day, all we can do is take snapshots of the universe as we see it and use those snapshots to try and puzzle out the past and future of our universe and the stuff inside. One little spacecraft didn’t realize just how hard this would be when it lifted off for the near-earth asteroid Bennu in 2016. 

The OSIRIS-REx mission has captured both images and a sample of Bennu, and this data tells the story of a violent past of collisions with rock-shattering forces. While the mission could beam those images to Earth as radio signals, the rocks, those have to be carried back, and we are pleased to share that on May 10, OSIRIS-REx started that long journey home and is slated to fling its rocks our way for a September 24, 2023, arrival in Utah. 

It’s unknown what the mission might be called upon to do in the future, but the current plan is for OSIRIS-REx to fly past Earth, fling its rock samples our way, and then continue into an orbit around the Sun inside of Venus’ orbit. According to Mike Moreau, the OSIRIS-REx deputy program officer: There’s a lot of emotion within the team about departure. I think everyone has a great sense of accomplishment because we faced all these daunting tasks and were able to accomplish all the objectives thrown at us. But there’s also some nostalgia and disappointment that this part of the mission is coming to an end. 

For the past three years, OSIRIS-REx has proven over and over that it can do more than anyone ever expected they’d have to ask of it. Bennu turned out to be a mess of an asteroid that is throwing bits of rock away from its surface on a regular basis. With no particularly safe place to take a sample, and the active tossing of rocks at the spacecraft, the mission team had to sort “is Bennu dangerous to orbit” and then jump to solving “how do we land with no clear areas?” 

Luckily, it was safe to orbit, and the team was able to program new self-driving routines into the spacecraft so it could drive itself to a safe-enough sample site. It has been an impressive few years, and now the long wait for the rocks begins.

More Information

NASA press release