Ranking Member Lofgren Celebrates Bennu Sample Unveiling, Looks to Psyche Launch and Lucy Flyby
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) unveiled the sample from the asteroid Bennu collected by the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security–Regolith Explorer) mission. OSIRIS-REx is the first U.S. mission to collect an asteroid sample and return it to Earth. The first assessment of the 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid Bennu sample show evidence of water and high-carbon content, which could indicate the building blocks of life on Earth. Asteroid missions help scientists study the history of our solar system and inform planetary defense from potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids.
“The successful OSIRIS-REx mission is a marvel of American science and ingenuity," said Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). “The recovery and examination of the Bennu samples has been exhilarating. We awaited Bennu's sample return for seven years, and already NASA's initial findings tell us we may find the building blocks of life on Earth in the Bennu sample. The amazing discoveries from this mission are just getting started. Ambitious asteroid missions, like OSIRIS-REx, the upcoming Psyche, the ongoing Lucy, and the many missions before are inspiring engineering feats. I will be following along eagerly as we continue to learn from the Bennu samples unveiled today. Congratulations to everyone who has been a part of the success of the OSIRIS-REx mission
Launched in 2016, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft traveled to the orbit of the asteroid Bennu, where it spent two years mapping the asteroid before collecting sample material from Bennu’s surface in 2018. OSIRIS-REx then traveled back to Earth and, without landing on Earth's surface, released a capsule holding the samples just above Earth's atmosphere that landed in Utah's West Desert. OSIRIS-REx then powered its thrusters to embark on an encore mission to the asteroid Apophis. The OSIRIS-REx sample capsule was recovered in Utah and has been under examination since it arrived at Johnson Space Center in late September.
On October 12, at Kennedy Space Center, NASA will launch the Agency’s newest asteroid mission: Psyche. The Psyche spacecraft will explore and study a metal-rich asteroid with the same name. On November 1, the Lucy mission—which launched in 2021—will demonstrate the spacecraft’s capabilities during its first flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh at 10,000 mph.
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