Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at Bennu.
Credit: NASA/University of Arizona

LITTLETON, Colorado – As NASA’s first mission to collect a sample from an asteroid screams toward Earth, recovery teams are practicing steps needed to assure that those bits of extraterrestrial flotsam safely arrive on Earth for detailed scientific inspection.

Mock sample return capsule is inspected in the field by a recovery team member.
Image credit: Barbara David

The scene is here at the Lockheed Martin Space campus; a sprawling facility populated by major aerospace expertise at the ready for deep diving exploration of the solar system.

It’s a busy time to help prepare for arrival of a spacecraft from afar – NASA’s Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer, or mercifully shortened to OSIRIS-REx.

Cleanroom procedures are practiced at Lockheed Martin in readiness for Utah landing of OSIRIS-REx capsule containing asteroid material.
Image credit: Leonard David

For more information, go to my new Space.com story – “Asteroid sample incoming: OSIRIS-REx team preps for September landing of Bennu bits – Touchdown will occur in Utah on Sept. 24” at:

https://www.space.com/osiris-rex-sample-return-landing-practice