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1. AkaSci 🛰️ (akasci@fosstodon.org)'s status on Sunday, 24-Sep-2023 15:21:18 UTC AkaSci 🛰️

   in reply to

   The purpose of the OSIRIS-REx mission is to understand where organic molecules and liquid water, two key ingredients for life on Earth, came from.

   One theory is that they were synthesized in asteroids like Bennu where conditions were more favorable for such chemistry.

   Bennu has remain relatively unchanged for billions of years, its organic molecules hopefully still intact.

   Will we find these molecules of life in Bennu’s rocks?

   #OSIRISREX #Bennu
   3/n

   • AkaSci 🛰️ (akasci@fosstodon.org)'s status on Sunday, 24-Sep-2023 15:21:18 UTC AkaSci 🛰️

     in reply to

     Here are some interesting schematics of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and the capsule carrying rubble and regolith from asteroid Bennu.

     The capsule is protected by a heat shield that regulates the temperature inside, keeping the sample below 167 degrees Fahrenheit, reminiscent of Bennu’s surface.

     More info at https://spaceflight101.com/osiris-rex/osiris-rex-spacecraft-overview/

     #OSIRISREX #Bennu
     4/n

   • AkaSci 🛰️ (akasci@fosstodon.org)'s status on Sunday, 24-Sep-2023 15:21:19 UTC AkaSci 🛰️

     Interesting factoid - Had the OSIRIS-REx team voted “No go” for today's landing attempt, then the spacecraft would have been diverted and would have sailed past Earth. The next landing attempt would have taken place in 2025.
     #OSIRISREX #Bennu
     2/n