NASA recently announced extended missions for eight of their deployed vessels in space. Among the missions that were included in the update was the OSIRIS-Rex. The team that will handle this particular project will include scholars from the Northern Arizona University and will be led by the institute's planetary geology specialist Chris Haberle.
OSIRIS-REx and OSIRIS-APEX Missions
The University of Arizona's commemorative poster celebrating OSIRIS-REx’s successful sample collection of asteroid Bennu. Explore more mission artwork in the University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Collectables Gallery.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) was deployed to space last 2016. The spacecraft was the first among the space agency's missions to retrieve samples of a space rock called Bennu.
The asteroid is hovering near our planet's proximity. The spacecraft reached the rock by 2020 and began collecting pieces for Earth-based examinations. Through these materials, our scientists will understand more about the hidden details of our solar system and the factors that made our planet habitable compared to other members of the system's neighborhood.
OSIRIS-REx will be making a stop at Apophis after 30 days of delivering the Bennu samples back to Earth, The NAU Review reports. The spacecraft is expected to return in September 2023, with the mission branching out to individual follow-ups. One team will focus on the Bennu sample analysis, while the other will regroup to transition for the upcoming OSIRIS-APEX (Apophis Explorer) mission.
NASA explained that the change in the name of OSIRIS emphasized a new mission that the spacecraft will carry out on another near-Earth asteroid. This separate rock has a size of approximately 370 meters or about 1,200 feet in diameter. The estimated trajectory of Apophis would reach about 32,000 kilometers or 20,000 miles from Earth by 2029.
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Studying S-Type Asteroid Apophis
The OSIRIS-APEX will enter the orbit of the space rock after it passes by the nearest point from Earth. From there, examination of the S-type asteroid will commence. Among the interests of the study is to identify the impacts of the rock's near-Earth flyby, as well as to study the structure of the object and the compounds that make up its surface.
Experts from the University of Arizona have handled the OSIRIS-REx mission since its launch. Today, the same institute would be leading the new OSIRIS-APEX mission. According to a report by SpaceRef, the university's planetary science specialist Daniella DellaGiustina will serve as the principal investigator for the mission.
Upon reaching the asteroid, the OSIRIS spacecraft would carry out a long-term observation, estimated to reach 18 months after the launch. Compared to the REx mission, the APEX mission would not be collecting physical materials but will focus on data revolving around the existence of the Apophis asteroid.
Apophis is roughly the same size as Bennu, scaling to 1,000 feet on its longest span. While Bennu is a B-type asteroid, Apophis was categorized by experts as an S-type.
Veterans from the previous OSIRIS-REx mission will be joining the APEX venture as mentors to the new experts slated for the study. Through the mission, the younger specialists will be trained to improve their research skills and leadership roles.
Haberle will serve as the instrument scientist behind the mission's OTES (OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer). Haberle will be mentored by Arizona State University's Phil Christensen and Southwest Research Institute's Vicky Hamilton.
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