RoundupReads The Capsule has Landed: Johnson Employees Celebrate Historic OSIRIS-REx Mission

The Capsule has Landed: Johnson Employees Celebrate Historic OSIRIS-REx Mission

by Linda Grimm | 2023-09-26

On Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, employees of NASA’s Johnson Space Center gathered together with their friends and families to watch as the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) spacecraft released a capsule containing a sample of asteroid Bennu into Earth’s atmosphere. The capsule’s landing at U.S. Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range marked the historic culmination of the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid.

People visit exhibit booths in a building lobby.

More than 150 guests converged at Johnson’s Teague Auditorium for a morning of celebratory and educational OSIRIS-REx activities provided by NASA’s ARES (Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science) Division, OSTEM (Office of STEM Engagement), and Starport. Exhibits in the Teague lobby gave guests an opportunity to learn about an asteroid’s journey through space, try their hand at landing the OSIRIS-REx capsule, learn about sample curation, and explore lunar and meteorite samples, among other activities.

A woman speaks behind a podium with a NASA logo on it.
NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche welcomes Johnson employees and their guests to the OSIRIS-REx viewing event in the Teague Auditorium. Credit: NASA/James Blair

Before NASA’s live broadcast of the capsule return began, Center Director Vanessa Wyche delivered welcome remarks and Paul Abell, ARES’ chief scientist for small body exploration, provided an overview of the mission. Nilufar Ramji, Moon to Mars public affairs lead, moderated a panel discussion with Abell and Kaitlyn McCain, NanoSIMS scientist with Jacobs Technology, after the broadcast aired. The mission scientists explained what is next for the Bennu sample and answered questions from the audience.

Three people sit on chairs on a stage.
Chief Scientist for Small Body Exploration Paul Abell, Jacobs Technology NanoSIMS Scientist Kaitlyn McCain, and Moon to Mars Public Affairs Lead Nilufar Ramji participate in a discussion about what happens next to the sample collected from asteroid Bennu. Credit: NASA/James Blair

Meanwhile, the OSIRIS-REx team was busy preparing the sample capsule for its journey to its permanent home at Johnson. The sample arrived in Houston on Monday, Sept. 25, touching down in a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft at Ellington Field at 11:40 a.m. From there, the capsule was transferred to a state-of-the-art curation lab built specifically for the Bennu sample within the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division at Johnson. ARES scientists have since begun the painstaking work of disassembling the capsule to reveal the sample inside.

A group of people, mostly wearing flight suits, stand in front of four airplanes.
Members of NASA's Johnson Space Center Aircraft Operations Division who supported the OSIRIS-REx sample’s return to Earth and delivery to Houston. Credit: NASA

 

Enjoy more photos from the viewing event and sample return below.

People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
People visit exhibit booths in a building library and listen to presentations in a theatre.
A metal box is unloaded from an airplane and wheeled into a building.
A metal box is unloaded from an airplane and wheeled into a building.
A metal box is unloaded from an airplane and wheeled into a building.
A metal box is unloaded from an airplane and wheeled into a building.
A metal box is unloaded from an airplane and wheeled into a building.
A metal box is unloaded from an airplane and wheeled into a building.
A metal box is unloaded from an airplane and wheeled into a building.
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