Oct. 25, 2023 Tracking the Bennu sample capsule's separation from OSIRIS-REx Data collected ahead of the OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule's plunge into Earth's atmosphere will help test algorithms used to pinpoint asteroids that could impact Earth.
Sept. 24, 2023 A gift from space: UArizona-led OSIRIS-REx mission delivers largest-ever asteroid sample to Earth The delivery from the asteroid Bennu, seven years after the spacecraft launched, marks the end of the space-voyaging phase of the mission. Scientists will now study the rocks and dust to better understand the origins of life on Earth.
Sept. 24, 2023 Bennu sample delivery marks the start of extended OSIRIS-APEX mission After dropping off its historic sample from asteroid Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is headed to its next target: another potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid, called Apophis.
Sept. 20, 2023 OSIRIS-REx 101: Brush up on the basics before Bennu's sample touches down Ahead of Sunday's sample delivery, learn about the asteroid, the spacecraft and the people starring in the historic OSIRIS-REx mission, which will launch decades of scientific research and could help explain the origins of the solar system and life itself.
Sept. 12, 2023 Take a stroll through the solar system – on the UArizona campus Eleven plaques have been installed across campus to show the relative sizes and distances of solar system objects. Zarah Brown, a doctoral student at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, led the project to make space science accessible to people of all ages.
Sept. 1, 2023 OSIRIS-REx team completes final test before asteroid sample delivery Members of NASA's UArizona-led OSIRIS-REx mission completed one last dress rehersal before the spacecraft delivers a sample from asteroid Bennu to the Utah desert on Sept. 24.
Aug. 22, 2023 Asteroid sample delivery to launch decades of science When the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft delivers a sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth on Sept. 24, it will launch decades of scientific investigation. Mission principal investigator Dante Lauretta is most excited to shed light on the origins of life on Earth.
July 6, 2023 OSIRIS-REx team members practice recovering asteroid sample capsule bound for Earth Everything must go smoothly when the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft releases its capsule full of pristine asteroid material over the Utah desert in September. Members of the mission team gathered at Lockheed Martin in Colorado to rehearse recovering the capsule and its precious cargo.
June 13, 2023 Pass the salt: This space rock holds clues as to how Earth got its water The discovery of tiny salt grains in a sample from an asteroid provides strong evidence that liquid water may be more common in the solar system's largest asteroid population than previously thought.
May 24, 2023 NASA honors UArizona Regents Professors, alumna for contributions to space exploration and astronomy Regents Professors Marcia and George Rieke and UArizona alumna Jane Rigby were recognized for their accomplishments in astronomy and key contributions to the James Webb Space Telescope.