OSIRIS-REx briefing tidbits: Ruling out “Andromeda Strain,” “Armageddon”
Together with United Launch Alliance and a host of national and international collaborators, NASA will send the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx into space Thursday.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians and engineers rotate the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft for testing. (NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis)
Together with United Launch Alliance and a host of national and international collaborators, NASA will send the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx into space Thursday evening. Over the next seven years, OSIRIS-REx will visit the asteroid Bennu, map the surface and bring backĀ samples of the regolith ā or rocky surface ā for study on earth.
In advance of the launch, NASA has been streaming a series of panelsĀ throughout the day. We tuned in for theĀ Uncovering the Secrets of AsteroidsĀ discussion with NASA’sĀ Ellen Stofan,Ā Michelle Thaller andĀ Lindley Johnson and Goddard’sĀ Alex Young.
Perhaps moreĀ interesting than the discussion was the Q&A to follow ā it was informative, funny and nerdy.
Here are a few of the highlights from the panel and Q&A:
Why are we conducting the OSIRIS-REx mission?
Earth is a rocky planet in a comparatively hot belt of the solar systemāso a majority of the water and some of the organic components of life, including RNA, DNA and amino acids,Ā on Earth is thoughtĀ to have come from a collision with an asteroid many years ago. Asteroid sampling could help us make new discoveries and answer old questions, such as where we came from and whether there is other life in the universe, NASAās deputy director of science communications Michelle Thaller explained duringĀ the panel.
Why are we visiting Bennu?
Bennu is a large asteroid that approaches Earth about every six years, so it is comparatively easy to access. Ā And as NASA is already well-versed in landing on large objects, like planets, maneuvering on a very small body will help us learn for future endeavors, NASA chief scientist Ellen Stofan said.
The carbon-rich materials gatheredĀ on Bennu willĀ benefit research for years to come. For now, the plan is to conduct research on 25 percent of the material and save the remaining material for the future when technology is better and resources greater. The panelists emphasized that the sample be pristine and untouched byĀ earth contaminants.
Is Bennu a threat to the Earth?
Bennu was first discovered in 1999 and has been identified as āpotentially hazardous.ā But in laymanās terms, all this really means that it is greater than 150 meters in diameter (1,614 feet to be exact), and in close proximity to earth.Ā And while there is a very slim chance that Bennu willĀ collide with earth, if it does, it wonāt be for another 160 or more years, according to Lindley Johnson, the Planetary Defense Coordination Office director.
Are there safeguards in place for protecting Earth in the case Bennu or some other asteroid comes too close?
Johnson said over 100 tons of harmless material falls to Earth every day ā mostly dust from space. As for orbiting objects, NASA keeps track, but they simplyĀ pass on by our planet.
ButĀ yes, there are actually a few contingency plans for diverting hazardous asteroids (and avoiding subsequent asteroid-related mass earth destruction). They are called the AsteroidĀ Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission and the Asteroid Redirect MissionĀ ā and they are about asĀ complicated as they sound. If you are curious, here is some light reading about how NASA plans to avoid “Armageddon” or the other one.
Once OSIRIS-REx launches, howĀ can we keep track of it?
NASAās Eyes is a cool tool that updates in real time to show where all of NASAās technology is and just what it is doing. Eyes on the Solar System shows where all of the solar system resources are or have been from 1950 through 2050, based on projections. Eyes on Earth does the same for satellites. With Eyes on the Exoplanets, you can download a full atlas of the sky since, well, we donāt have any spacecraft near the exoplanets at the moment.
Will Bennuās samples release an Andromeda Strain on the earth?
First off, NASA has already determined that the asteroid contains no life. And NASAĀ says itsĀ samples are meticulously cared for, even down to where it will be contained at Johnsonās Space Center Astro Curation society. So, no, we wonāt all die from a space virus. It’s far more likely that the sample could get contaminated by Earthās radiation.
Multimedia business & healthcareĀ reporter Chloe Aiello can be reached via email atĀ caiello@denverite.comĀ or twitter.com/chlobo_ilo.
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