Just a mile away from where NASA’s asteroid sample mission, OSIRIS-REx, will launch on Thursday, SpaceX lost a rocket last week to an fiery accident during a pre-flight test. But NASA and their partner United Launch Alliance don’t seem to be too worried.
NASA announced Wednesday that it had moved this asteroid explorer, OSIRIS-REx, and the ULA rocket, Atlas V, to into position on a Cape Canaveral launch pad. They are prepping for a 5:05 p.m. launch window on September 8.
Using the hashtag #ToBennuandback, Twitter accounts for NASA, United Launch Alliance, OSIRIS-REx and Lockheed Martin have all been tweeting enthusiastically about the craft's movements.
To recap: OSIRIS-REx is a seven-year asteroid sample mission. Osiris-REx will map the surface of the asteroid Bennu and gather samples for study in hopes of answering some of the most lasting questions about our solar system.
If you want all of the gritty details about OSIRIS-REx, there is a live Q&A on NASA's website. You can ask a question too, just use the hashtag #AskNASA on social media.
Multimedia business & healthcare reporter Chloe Aiello can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/chlobo_ilo.
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as well as the prelaunch Q&A that is live on NASA’s website.
