NASA scientists are preparing to achieve a technological feat: recover a piece of the asteroid Bennu and bring it back to Earth. After seven years of traveling through space, the Osiris-Rex probe managed to take samples of stones and dust from this asteroid.
The capsule containing the sample is scheduled to land on Sunday in the Utah desert, United States. However, this operation is far from simple and involves many risks. The capsule will have to cross the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of more than 44,000 km/h, experiencing extreme temperatures of up to 2,700°C.
To slow down the descent, two parachutes will be deployed at different times during the descent. It is crucial that these parachutes function properly to avoid any risk of a hard landing. If the planned landing zone is missed, it is possible that the capsule will make another trip around the Sun before trying again in 2025.
Once the capsule is recovered from the ground, it will be transported to a temporary clean room to avoid any contamination of the sample. This will then be analyzed in a specially equipped laboratory, allowing scientists to better understand the types of asteroids that could threaten Earth and explore the origins of our solar system.
This mission is of critical importance because asteroids are considered the original materials of the solar system, which have not undergone major transformations since their formation more than 4.5 billion years ago. They are therefore privileged witnesses to the history and evolution of our solar system.
This asteroid sample recovery mission is not a first. Japan has already managed to bring back samples from two different asteroids during the Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions. However, this NASA mission is the most ambitious yet, with the possibility of collecting the largest asteroid sample ever brought to Earth.
The results of this mission will therefore provide crucial information on our origin and the evolution of our solar system. Scientists are impatiently awaiting the opening of the capsule and the first results of the analyzes which will be revealed during a press conference scheduled for October 11.
In conclusion, NASA’s mission to recover a sample of the asteroid Bennu is a historic moment in space exploration. It opens new perspectives on our understanding of our origin and the evolution of the solar system. It’s fascinating to think that this piece of asteroid could contain valuable information about the history of our universe.