An international team led by three researchers from the CNRS, the European Southern Observatory (ESO, Europe), and Charles University (Czech Republic) has successfully demonstrated that 70% of all known meteorite […]
OSIRIS-REx
Posted inComets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Geophysical Observations Of OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule Re-Entry
Sample Return Capsules (SRCs) entering Earth’s atmosphere at hypervelocity from interplanetary space are a valuable resource for studying meteor phenomena.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Asteroid Bennu: Properties Of The Sample Collected By OSIRIS-REx
On September 24, 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission dropped a capsule to Earth containing ~120 g of pristine carbonaceous regolith from Bennu. We describe the delivery and initial allocation of this asteroid […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Sample Return
An OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Has Surprising Phosphate Content
Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report
Asteroid (101955) Bennu In The Laboratory: Properties Of The Sample Collected By OSIRIS-REx
On 24 September 2023, the NASA OSIRIS-REx mission dropped a capsule to Earth containing approximately 120 g of pristine carbonaceous regolith from Bennu.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Samples Now Available to World’s Scientists
Scientists outside of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx team are getting their first close look at the asteroid Bennu samples available for independent research just six months after their delivery to Earth.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
OSIRIS-REx Samples Available for Request
The OSIRIS-REx curation team exhibited impressive persistence, patience, and resilience during disassembly of the flight hardware and initial sample processing, and they endured many surprises and challenges along the way.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Missions & Hardware
Corrected And Updated Version Of NASA’s Astrobiology Fleet Chart (update)
Editor’s note: This Astrobiology Fleet chart was shown by David Grinspoon and Shawn Domagal-Goldman on 22 Mar 2024 at an AAS Goddard Memorial Science Meeting. It is rather incomplete and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
QRIS: A Quantitative Reflectance Imaging System for the Pristine Sample of Asteroid Bennu
The Quantitative Reflectance Imaging System (QRIS) is a laboratory-based spectral imaging system constructed to image the sample of asteroid Bennu delivered to Earth by the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Astrogeology / Astrobiology Analysis Update
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivered 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of material from asteroid Bennu when it returned to Earth on Sep. 24, 2023; the largest asteroid sample ever collected in space […]