>>>OSIRIS REX, A NASA MISSION
LED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
TO DELIVER A SAMPLE TO EARTH IS
ORBITING ITS TARGET.
SCIENTIST AND ENGINEERS WILL
SPEND THE NEXT YEAR SELECTING
THE PERFECT PLACE TO COLLECT A
SAMPLE FROM THE SURFACE BEFORE
THE SPACECRAFT'S RETURN IN 2023.
HERE'S A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF
THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DECADE
LONG MISSION.
>> THIS IS A SAMPLE.
THE HOLY GRAIL IS TO RETURN AT
LEAST 60 GRAMS TO EARTH IN THE
YEAR 2023 IN SEPTEMBER.
>> THE TYPE OF OBJECT WE'RE
GOING AFTER IS INCREDIBLY BLACK.
WE THINK THAT DARK SURFACE IS
INDICATING A VERY CARBON RICH
MATERIAL AND THAT IS THE PRIME
OBJECTIVE OF THE MISSION IS TO
FIND VERY CARBON RICH MATERIAL
THAT WE THINK HAS ORGANIC
MOLECULES AND PREBIOTIC CALM
COMPOUNDS.
>> MY JOB IS TO PULL THE TEAM
ANOTHER, THE SKILL SET, THE
YOUTH, THE ENERGY.
>> OBVIOUSLY THE TEAM SUFFERED A
MAJOR SETBACK IN SEPTEMBER WHEN
WE LOST OUR LEADER, MIKE DRAKE.
I WAS THEN ASKED BY NASA TO STEP
INTO THE ROLE AS PRINCIPLE
INVESTIGATOR.
>> WE HAVE ONE MISSION, IT'S
GOING TO GO THERE, IT'S GOING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW TO OPERATE AROUND
THAT ASTEROID.
IT'S GOING TO FIGURE OUT THE
ASTEROID ITSELF.
IT'S GOING TO DECIDE WHERE WE
WANT TO GO.
IT'S GOING TO GO THERE AND GRAB
THAT SAMPLE AND COME BACK TO
EARTH.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS, ANY ONE OF
WHICH, YOU KNOW, IS A REALLY
COMPLICATED THING TO DO WE'RE
GOING TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE.
>> LOCKHEED MARTIN HAS DEVELOPED
SOMETHING CALLED THE TAG SAM.
TOUCH AND GO SAMPLE ACQUISITION
MECHANISM.
IT'S SOMETHING WE DEVELOPED TO
DO A SAMPLE WITHOUT NEEDING A
SCOOP OR NEEDING TO BE ATTACHED
TO WHAT WE'RE SAMPLING.
>> WE DO HAVE A LARGE BUDGET.
OUR MISSION PROFILE INCLUDING
LAUNCH VEHICLE IS JUST OVER A
BILLION DOLLARS.
>> SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT IS
ACTUALLY MORE IMPORTANT THAN
COST MANAGEMENT AT THIS POINT.
WE'RE IN A HEALTHY COST POSTURE
BUT YOU CAN'T BUY MORE TIME FOR
CERTAIN THINGS.
WE'VE GOT A FIXED LAUNCH DATE.
WE'RE GOING WHEN WE'RE GOING.
>> EVERYONE IS GO.
THREE, TWO, ONE.
AND LIFTOFF OF OSIRIS REX.
>> THE EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER
WAS INCREDIBLE.
THINKING ABOUT EVERYBODY WHO
POURED THEIR HEART AND SOUL IN
THIS PROGRAM.
THOSE WHO ARE WITH US, THOSE WHO
ARE NOT WITH US.
THE MOMENT OF LIFTOFF IS LIKE A
DREAM COME TRUE.
WE JUST NAILED IT AND IT FELT
AMAZING.
>> OSIRIS REX SPACECRAFT IS
INBOUND BACK TO THE EARTH AFTER
ONE YEAR IN OUTER SPACE.
AND WE ARE TARGETING AN EARTH
GRAVITY ASSIST ON SEPTEMBER
22nd.
THE SPACECRAFT WILL PASS ABOUT
17,000 KILOMETERS OVER THE
SERVICE OF THE EARTH AROUND
ANTARCTICA.
>> IT'S FREE ENERGY BASICALLY.
WE CAN ACHIEVE THIS INCLINATION
CHANGE WITHOUT HAVING TO EXPEND
ANY OF OUR OWN FUEL.
>> WE GOT COLOR IMAGES ABOUT ONE
DAY AFTER THE ACTUAL EGA EVENT.
WE WERE ABLE TO PROCESS ALL OF
THOSE IMAGES INTO THE COLOR
COMPOSITES.
WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT IN
PRETTY SHORT ORDER.
I THINK THAT'S JUST A GREAT
TESTAMENT TO HOW FUNCTIONAL OUR
TEAM IS.
>> TODAY IS ACTUALLY THE FIRST
TIME WE ARE GOING TO TAKE AN
IMAGE OF OUR TARGET ASTEROID.
YOU KNOW, WE LAUNCHED BACK IN
SEPTEMBER 2016.
AFTER TWO YEARS OF TRAVEL WE'RE
FINALLY CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE
ASTEROID WHERE WE CAN SEE IT.
IT WILL LOOK LIKE A STAR MOVING
AMONG THE OTHER STARS.
WE'RE ABOUT 2 MILLION KILOMETERS
OUT.
IT WILL JUST BE A STAR.
>> STAND BY.
BURN HAS STARTED.
STAND BY FOR BENU ARRIVAL.
WE HAVE ARRIVED.
>> TODAY WE ARRIVED.
WE HAVEN'T TAKEN ORBIT UP YET.
WE'LL SPEND A MONTH GOING BACK
AND FORTH SOME DISTANCE AWAY
FROM THE ASTEROID.
ROUGHLY ABOUT SEVEN TO TEN
MILES.
EXAMINING IT, TAKING IMAGES OF
IT, CHECKING OUR INSTRUMENTS,
MAKING SURE EVERYTHING IS AS
EXPECTED.
WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE ORBIT BY THE
END OF THE MONTH, BEGINNING OF
THE YEAR.
>> BENU ALMOST LOOKS EXACTLY
LIKE WE THOUGHT IT WOULD.
IT HAS THE SHAPE WE PREDICTED
AND IT'S ROTATING IN THE WAY WE
EXPECTED FROM THE GROUND
OBSERVATION.
WE'RE SURPRISED BY THE SIZE OF
THE BOULDERS ON THE SURFACE AND
THE NUMBER DENSITY OF BOULDERS
ON THE SURFACE.
THE SURFACE IS DEFINITELY MUCH
MORE RUGGED THAN WE PREDICTED
FROM THE GROUND BASED
ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATION.
>> THE FIRST HIGHLIGHT WAS
DISCOVERING EVIDENCE OF WATER
RESIDUE.
WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE
HISTORY OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR
PLACE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM, HOW
LIFE CAME TO BE.
AND THAT REALLY MEANS THAT WE
NEED TO UNDERSTAND VERY EARLY
WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE SOLAR
SYSTEM, ORGANIC MATERIALS, WATER
IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY FUNDAMENTAL
COMPONENT TO LIFE AND ITS
DEVELOPMENT.
>> THE OTHER SURPRISE I WOULD
SAY ABOUT BENU IS THAT THE
SURFACE LOOKS REALLY OLD.
WE EXPECTED THIS TO BE A YOUNG
SURFACE, HAVING GONE OVERTURN
AND WAS MODIFIED BY THE TIDAL
FORCES.
BUT WE'RE SEEING BIG IMPACT
CRATERS ON THIS ASTEROID.
WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO TO GET
CLOSER TO THE ASTEROID, DO
HIGHER RESOLUTION IMAGING TO GET
A SENSE OF THE GRAIN SIZE AND
ARE THERE PARTICLES THAT ARE
SMALL ENOUGH TO PICK UP.
THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG MYSTERIES
GOING FORWARD.
YOU THINK IT LOOKS GREAT NOW,
WAIT TILL YOU SEE THE DATA THAT
ARE COMING IN IN MARCH OF 2019.
>> ARIZONA PUBLIC MEDIA HAS
FOLLOWED THE OSIRIS REX MISSION
FOR NEARLY EIGHT YEARS.
PRODUCTION IS UNDERWAY ON A
SECOND DOCUMENTARY CHRONICLING
ITS LAUNCH.
UP UNTIL ITS SAMPLE RETRIEVAL.
TO VIEW THE INITIAL DOCUMENTARY,
COUNT DOWN TUNE LAUNCH AND FIND
MORE AT AZPM.ORG/OSIRISREX.