UA preparing to analyze asteroid samples delivered by space probe
UA designed Osiris Rex probe to land samples in September
The University of Arizona took the lead in a mission to grab a sample of an asteroidand bring it to Earth for analysis. That sample is set to land in September. Now the lab at UA Lunar and Planetary Sciences is preparing to examine what the Osiris Rex probe sends back.
UA plans to get a lot of value out of a tiny bit of material. The amount of material they expect to get is about 15 grams, maybe a little more. Heres some perspective on that 15 grams: it is the weight of six pennies.
University of Arizona designed and led the Osiris Rex mission. The spacecraft is on a nearly seven year round trip to grab a sample of the asteroid Bennu. The sample grab worked so well the probe collected much more than predicted.
Now the challenge is to bring the samples safely through the Earths atmosphere to a soft landing in Utah.
https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/ua-preparing-to-analyze-asteroid-samples-delivered-by-space-probe