The purchase of this stamp/s will earn you 3 points valued at $0.06.
OSIRIS-REx stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer. It is a NASA spacecraft mission launched in September 2016 with the goal of studying the asteroid Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid, and returning a sample of its surface material to Earth.
The spacecraft arrived at Bennu in December 2018 and began studying its surface in detail, mapping its features and composition using a suite of scientific instruments. In October 2020, OSIRIS-REx successfully collected a sample of regolith (loose surface material) from Bennu's surface using a robotic arm.
OSIRIS-REx's mission objectives include understanding the origins of the solar system, studying the composition of asteroids like Bennu, and providing insights into the potential resources available on such bodies. The sample collected by OSIRIS-REx is expected to provide valuable information about the early solar system and the processes that shaped it.
After collecting the sample, OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to begin its return journey to Earth, with the sample expected to arrive in September 2023. The mission has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of asteroids and their role in the formation of the solar system.
