OSIRIS-REx spacecraft set to take Bennu asteroid sample

The video tutorial covers the Osiris Rex mission, which launched from Cape Canaveral on September 8, 2016, to collect samples from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft is equipped with a touch-and-go sample acquisition mechanism, including a robotic arm and nitrogen gas to collect surface material. After collecting between 60 and 200 grams of material, the samples are stored in a heat-proof capsule. The spacecraft will return to Earth, ejecting the capsule to land in the Utah desert in September 2023.

Explain the role of nitrogen gas in the sample collection process.

Evaluate responses using AI:

OFF

When is the capsule expected to land back on Earth?

Evaluate responses using AI:

OFF