In October 2020, the OSIRIS-REx craft picked up a sample from the asteroid Bennu, and in May 2021, it will return to Earth. The trajectory correction maneuver was performed to keep the craft on course for Earth.
This isn't a simple process and NASA has shared more details on how the sample will be delivered. OSIRIS-REx doesn't have a way to land on the surface because it isn't designed to handle the heat and other forces that travel through Earth's atmosphere. Instead, it will shoot a capsule filled with the asteroid sample into the atmosphere and bring it back to the surface.
Mike Moreau, OSIRIS-REx deputy project manager at NASA, said in a statement that this will be difficult. The atmosphere will be lost if the capsule is too high. It will burn up in the atmosphere.
The purpose of the trajectory maneuvers is to make sure that the capsule ends up in the right place in September of next year.
The trajectory of the OSIRIS-REx will be adjusted over the next year to target it closer to Earth. At the time when Earth will be at that same location, we have to cross Earth's elliptical path.
The recent trajectory maneuver was the first of a series of maneuvers that will take place in July of next year. The capsule will slow itself down with a parachute as it descends. The capsule will land at the Utah Test and Training Range in the Great Salt Lake Desert, where it will be collected by the Air Force and the Army for scientific investigation.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
