NASA prepares for imminent landing of largest asteroid sample in US desert

A capsule containing the largest-ever collected sample from an asteroid, and the first within NASA's mission, was launched from space via the "OSIRIS-REx" spacecraft on Sunday, just hours before its expected landing in the Utah desert, US.

The final landing through Earth's atmosphere is expected to be fraught with risks. However, the US space agency hopes to achieve a smooth arrival at approximately 9:00 AM local time (15:00 GMT) in a military area typically used for missile testing.

After its launch seven years ago, the "OSIRIS-REx" probe collected rocks and dust from the asteroid Bennu in 2020, starting its return journey.

The sample comprises about 250 grams of material (with a margin of error of about a hundred grams), according to NASA's estimates. It is expected to "help us better understand the types of asteroids that could threaten Earth" and shed light on "the early history of our solar system," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

NASA scientist Amy Simon told Agence France-Presse, "The return of this sample is truly historic," adding, "This will be the largest sample we have returned from lunar rocks" as part of the Apollo program that ended in 1972.

However, the maneuver required before reaching the valuable cargo carries "risk," according to Simon.

About four hours before the expected landing, the "OSIRIS-REx" spacecraft released the capsule containing the sample more than 100,000 kilometers from Earth (about a third of the distance between the Moon and Earth).

During the final 13 minutes, the capsule will pass through the Earth's atmosphere and enter at a speed exceeding 44,000 kilometers per hour, with temperatures reaching up to 2,700 degrees Celsius.

The descent, monitored by military sensors, will be slowed down by two consecutive parachutes. Proper deployment is necessary to avoid a "violent landing."

The target area for landing extends 58 kilometers in length and 14 kilometers in width. The spacecraft has been set on a course to launch toward another asteroid.

Upon the capsule's landing on Earth, a team equipped with gloves and masks will examine its condition before placing it in a net and lifting it with a helicopter to transport it to a temporary "clean room."

The capsule should be exposed to US desert sand for the shortest time possible to avoid any contamination of the sample that could disrupt subsequent analyses.

The sample is scheduled to be transported to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on Monday, where the box will be opened in another sealed room, a process that will take several days.

NASA plans to hold a press conference on October 11 to reveal preliminary results.

Most of the sample will be preserved for future generations to study. Approximately 25% of it will be used for immediate experiments, with a small portion shared with Japan and Canada, both partners in the project.

Japan previously offered NASA some grains from the Ryugu asteroid, bringing back 5.4 grams of it in 2020 during the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft mission. In 2010, Japan collected a minuscule amount from another asteroid.

Amy Simon noted that the Bennu sample this time is "much larger, so we will be able to perform more analyses."

Asteroids are of interest because they are composed of the original materials of the solar system from 4.5 billion years ago. While these materials have changed on Earth, asteroids have remained intact.



AFP