Seven years after it blasted into space to snag a sample of an asteroid, a spacecraft is set to deliver its rare cargo on Sunday 香蕉视频直播� and Canada is getting a piece of the interstellar bounty.
The NASA-led mission launched OSIRIS-REx into space in 2016 to collect from the surface of an asteroid material that scientists hope will offer them insight into the formation of the solar system. The spacecraft began orbiting the asteroid 香蕉视频直播� called Bennu 香蕉视频直播� in 2018 and grabbed a sample in 2020.
It started its return trip to Earth in 2021, and a capsule with the rocks and space dust is expected to land in the Utah desert on Sunday, before the spacecraft continues on a mission to another asteroid.
Canada contributed a laser altimeter to the mission 香蕉视频直播� a device that measures altitude and distance 香蕉视频直播� that has allowed Bennu to become the 香蕉视频直播渕ost precisely surveyed body in our solar system,香蕉视频直播� says Cameron Dickinson, a staff engineer at Canadian space company MDA Ltd., which designed the Canadian component of the spacecraft.
By taking billions of measurements of the asteroid over two years, Canada香蕉视频直播檚 altimeter 香蕉视频直播� known as OLA 香蕉视频直播� helped scientists select the best location on the asteroid from which to gather a sample. The craft then briefly landed on the asteroid to collect the material.
香蕉视频直播淚n total, we laid down more than three billion measurements 香蕉视频直播� so this now provides a very highly precise map of the asteroid, Dickinson told a recent news conference.
NASA香蕉视频直播檚 OSIRIS-REx is the first asteroid sample-return mission in which Canada has participated 香蕉视频直播� and it entitles the country to some of the space rocks.
香蕉视频直播淚n exchange for this contribution, Canadian scientists have been on the OSIRIS REx science team from the very beginning,香蕉视频直播� John Moores, science adviser to the president of the Canadian Space Agency, told a recent briefing on the mission.
香蕉视频直播淎s well, Canada will become the fifth country in the world to receive a sample collected in space.香蕉视频直播�
Tim Haltigin, planetary senior mission scientist with The Canadian Space Agency, has worked on the project for a decade. Asteroids, he said, are leftover ingredients from the formation of the solar system, and getting a sample from one 香蕉视频直播渋s sort of like going back into a cosmic mixing bowl and pulling out individual grains of sugar and a bit of flour and, you know, maybe a chocolate chip.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淎nd so this is how we香蕉视频直播檙e able to study the raw ingredients of the solar system as they were billions and billions and billions of years ago,香蕉视频直播� Haltigin said.
The mission selected Bennu because it was close enough to reach and large enough from which to secure a sample 香蕉视频直播� and also because of what it is made of.
香蕉视频直播淭here was only about a handful (of asteroids) that were made of some of the most interesting scientific materials that allow us to answer some of these fundamental questions about the origins of the solar system,香蕉视频直播� Haltigin said.
A piece of Bennu won香蕉视频直播檛 be coming to Canada right away 香蕉视频直播� the country香蕉视频直播檚 space agency needs to first build a facility in which to store the rare find.
香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e not on the same timeline as NASA to receive the sample 香蕉视频直播� that香蕉视频直播檚 been understood since the beginning,香蕉视频直播� said Caroline-Emmanuelle Morisset, program scientist, space exploration development with the CSA. 香蕉视频直播淭he sample will reside at NASA for a time before it香蕉视频直播檚 transferred to Canada.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淲hat we need is a clean room,香蕉视频直播� Morisset said. 香蕉视频直播淭hose are rooms where the air is all filtered to ensure that there香蕉视频直播檚 no particulates from Earth that come in contact with the sample.香蕉视频直播�
The total size of the shipment of dust and pebbles is about 250 grams, plus or minus 100 grams; Canada香蕉视频直播檚 portion is about four per cent of that 香蕉视频直播� somewhere between six and 14 grams, Morisset said.
But she says that香蕉视频直播檚 plenty to keep scientists busy for years. The two Japan-led Hayabusa missions brought back a total of about five grams of asteroid, which she said provided decades worth of science.
香蕉视频直播淵ou know, with milligrams of sample we can do a lot of science,香蕉视频直播� Morisset said.
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