NASA Johnson's Curation Lab Ready to Reveal OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample

NASA Johnson's Curation Lab Ready to Reveal OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample

On Sept. 24, 2023, the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer) spacecraft returned to Earth after a seven-year journey in which it explored asteroid Bennu and collected samples from its surface. The sample has been returned to the NASA Johnson Space Center's Curation Lab to be opened, studied, and distributed to scientists around the world for decades of ground-breaking research to learn more about our planet, the solar system and the organics that may reveal more about the origins of life on Earth. 

The sample was publicly revealed on Oct. 11, 2023.

The astromaterials curation team has collected bonus asteroid Bennu particles located outside the OSIRIS-REx TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head. They have also completed additional steps toward disassembly to reveal of the bulk asteroid sample inside the head. . . 

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: http://www.asteroidmission.org

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes

Release Date: Oct. 11, 2023

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