从贝努归来

2023年9月29日

Back from Bennu
Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

Explanation: Back from asteroid 101955 Bennu, a 110-pound, 31-inch wide sample return capsule rests in a desert on planet Earth in this photo, taken at the Department of Defense Utah Test and Training Range near Salt Lake City last Sunday, September 24. Dropped off by the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft, the capsule looks charred from the extreme temperatures experienced during its blistering descent through Earth’s dense atmosphere. OSIRIS-Rex began its home-ward journey from Bennu in May of 2021. Delivered to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on September 25, the capsule’s canister is expected to contain an uncontaminated sample of about a half pound (250 grams) of Bennu’s loosely packed regolith. Working in a new laboratory designed for the OSIRIS-REx mission, scientists and engineers will complete the canister disassembly process, and plan to unveil the sample of the near-Earth asteroid in a broadcast event on October 11.

Tomorrow’s picture: shine on

从贝努归来
影像提供: NASA/Keegan Barber

说明: 在这张上星期日（9月24日）摄于盐湖城附近的美国国防部犹他州测试和训练场之照片里，伫停在地球沙漠上的50公斤重、79公分宽样本返回舱，刚从101955号小行星贝努归来。这个由OSIRIS-Rex太空船所投放的样本舱，在穿过地球浓密大气的急速下降过程中，经历了极端高温，是以外观看来焦黑。 OSIRIS-Rex从贝努返回地球的旅程，起始于2021年5月。在9月25日，样本舱送往休斯顿NASA约翰逊航天中心，舱内装着约250克未受污染的贝努松散腐岩样本。在OSIRIS-REx任务中心工作的科学家及工程师，将在特别设计的新实验室中，完成样本罐拆卸过程，并计划在10月11日的实况转播中，公开展示来自这颗近地小行星样本。

明日的图片: shine on