WEBVTT FILE 1 00:00:01.885 --> 00:00:03.236 OSIRIS-REx is 2 00:00:03.236 --> 00:00:06.239 NASA's first asteroid sample return mission. 3 00:00:06.356 --> 00:00:09.242 It launched in September 2016 on a journey 4 00:00:09.242 --> 00:00:12.228 to explore a near-Earth asteroid called Bennu. 5 00:00:12.479 --> 00:00:17.550 After arriving in 2018, OSIRIS-REx spent nearly two years orbiting Bennu, 6 00:00:17.667 --> 00:00:19.819 mapping and studying its rugged terrain 7 00:00:19.819 --> 00:00:23.223 before carrying out its primary science objective. 8 00:00:23.306 --> 00:00:25.225 On October 20th, 2020. 9 00:00:25.225 --> 00:00:29.713 The spacecraft ventured to a small crater in the asteroid's northern hemisphere. 10 00:00:29.779 --> 00:00:34.050 It dodged jagged rocks and towering boulders and plunged its arm 11 00:00:34.050 --> 00:00:37.487 into the loose surface, excavating six tons of debris 12 00:00:37.620 --> 00:00:40.707 while collecting about 250 grams of material. 13 00:00:40.790 --> 00:00:45.628 OSIRIS-REx stowed its bounty and closed its sample return capsule. 14 00:00:45.712 --> 00:00:48.681 It bid farewell to Bennu in May 2021, 15 00:00:48.681 --> 00:00:52.986 embarking on a 1.2 billion mile cruise back to Earth. 16 00:00:53.069 --> 00:00:56.189 Now, two years and four months after leaving Bennu. 17 00:00:56.306 --> 00:01:03.613 OSIRIS-REx is closing in on the place where its journey began 18 00:01:03.680 --> 00:01:05.148 on September 24th. 19 00:01:05.148 --> 00:01:09.419 The spacecraft will approach to nearly 63,000 miles from Earth. 20 00:01:09.502 --> 00:01:14.007 It will power up and release its sample return capsule at 4:42 a.m. 21 00:01:14.090 --> 00:01:15.442 Mountain Time. 22 00:01:15.442 --> 00:01:18.211 The capsule must be jettisoned within a narrow time frame 23 00:01:18.211 --> 00:01:21.798 and at just the right angle to hit its target an area of roughly 24 00:01:21.798 --> 00:01:25.618 250 square miles in Utah's West Desert. 25 00:01:25.702 --> 00:01:28.788 Once the capsule is away, OSIRIS-REx will fire 26 00:01:28.788 --> 00:01:32.559 its thrusters to avoid colliding with Earth. 27 00:01:32.642 --> 00:01:35.278 At 8:42 a.m., the capsule will streak 28 00:01:35.278 --> 00:01:40.033 into the atmosphere at a blistering 27,000 miles per hour. 29 00:01:40.100 --> 00:01:42.152 It will race across the western U.S. 30 00:01:42.152 --> 00:01:45.622 and begin to glow with heat, allowing infrared trackers on the ground 31 00:01:45.622 --> 00:01:49.759 to chart its progress as it pushes deeper into the atmosphere. 32 00:01:49.793 --> 00:01:53.429 The capsule will rapidly decelerate, subjecting the Bennu samples 33 00:01:53.429 --> 00:01:57.500 to a punishing 32 G’s about 2 minutes after entry. 34 00:01:57.567 --> 00:01:59.552 It will slow to Mach 1.4 35 00:01:59.552 --> 00:02:03.373 and deploy its drogue parachute to stabilizing its descent. 36 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:06.509 The capsule will enter special use airspace at 8:46 37 00:02:06.509 --> 00:02:09.863 a.m., almost ten miles above the Department of Defense. 38 00:02:09.863 --> 00:02:12.048 Utah Test and Training range. 39 00:02:12.048 --> 00:02:14.517 Radar stations will lock on and track it to 40 00:02:14.517 --> 00:02:18.354 within 30 feet of its landing site at 8:50 a.m.. 41 00:02:18.388 --> 00:02:22.959 The capsule will extract and deploy its main parachute one mile above the ground. 42 00:02:23.042 --> 00:02:26.663 It will make its final descent at a leisurely 11 miles per hour, 43 00:02:26.763 --> 00:02:29.549 like a marathon runner savoring a victory lap 44 00:02:29.549 --> 00:02:32.819 before touching down in the desert soil at 8:55.