NASA to Host Media Teleconference on Asteroid Sample Return Mission

Written by Ben

March 15, 2019

NASA is hosting a media teleconference at 1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, March 19, to announce new science from the agency’s first mission to return to Earth an asteroid sample that may contain unaltered material from the very beginning of our solar system.

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft launched Sept. 8, 2016, and began orbiting the asteroid Bennu on Dec. 31, 2018. Since its arrival at Bennu, the probe has been investigating the asteroid and searching for an ideal site for sample collection. 

Bennu is only slightly wider than the height of the Empire State Building and is the smallest body ever orbited by spacecraft. Studying Bennu with OSIRIS-REx will allow researchers to learn more about the origins of our solar system, the sources of water and organic molecules on Earth, and the hazards and resources in near-Earth space. 

The teleconference participants are:

  • Lori Glaze, acting director, NASA’s Planetary Science Division, Washington
  • Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator, University of Arizona, Tucson
  • Coralie Adam, OSIRIS-REx flight navigator, KinetX, Inc. Space Navigation and Flight Dynamics, Simi Valley, Calif.
  • Rich Burns, OSIRIS-REx project manager, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

For dial-in information, media must send their name, affiliation and phone number to Lonnie Shekhtman at [email protected] by 10 a.m. March 19. 

Teleconference audio and visuals will stream live at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live 

For more information about NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

-end-

Related Articles

US House of Representatives Columbia Accident Documents

US House of Representatives Columbia Accident Documents

House Representative Statements The following are some of the statements made by Representatives regarding the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia. February 1, 2003: Representative Sherwood Boehlert PRESS RELEASEDate Released: Saturday, February 01,...

Contribute to NASA Research on Eclipse Day – and Every Day

Contribute to NASA Research on Eclipse Day – and Every Day

NASA is celebrating the Sun during the Heliophysics Big Year, which extends through the end of 2024. You can get involved to help us learn more about our star and its influence on our planet. With exciting experiments happening during the total solar...

Check out our Amazon Store

Lookin in our Amazon Store and pick up the items we review and talk about (if you purchase something from our store, we earn a small comission)

Join Our Newsletter

Click below and never miss a thing