Osiris Rex is a spacecraft launched by NASA in 2016. Its mission is to collect a sample of an asteroid and return it to Earth for study. The spacecraft is named after the Egyptian god Osiris, who was the god of the underworld and rebirth. The “rex” in the name comes from the Latin word for king.
The spacecraft has two main parts: the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) and the Sample Return Capsule (SRC). The TAGSAM arm collects samples of dust and gravel from the surface of an asteroid using a process called “dry sampling”. This involves extending the arm to touch the asteroid’s surface and then quickly retracting it so that material can be collected without disturbing the asteroid’s environment too much. The SRC stores these samples until they are ready to be returned to Earth.
As well as collect samples, Osiris Rex will also study Bennu’s orbit and composition. It will do this by mapping the asteroid’s surface with its onboard cameras and spectrometers, and measuring its gravity field. By understanding more about Bennu, scientists hope to learn more about how our Solar System formed and evolved.
Osisris Rex is expected to return to Earth in 2023, landing at Utah’s Test And Training Range Facility. There, scientists will unload the SRC containing its precious cargo of samples for further study.