Learning About Space
By Johnathan Brackett, NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador As a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, I have numerous opportunities to share exciting news about NASA missions and programs with my community. One of my favorite things is presenting at local school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Nights. Most children believe NASA is only about astronauts and rocket ships. My position allows me to educate about the numerous ways NASA uses STEM subjects, such as robotics and coding, when creating a mission and to ensure children of all backgrounds have access to STEM resources. The OSIRIS-REx mission is an excellent example of how thousands of people contribute to the success of a mission. After a nearly five-year journey to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, a spacecraft will be bringing back samples of material from the asteroid’s rocky surface, offering scientists a peek into the formation of our solar system. OSIRIS-REx, short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer, was launched in September 2016 on a challenging mission – to study the asteroid Bennu. In December 2018, the spacecraft reached its destination, allowing over 4,000 researchers, including the author, to map Bennu’s rocky surface and select a smooth target sampling site named Nightingale. The sample collection, which took place in October 2020, was a risky touch-and-go operation to gather material from Bennu’s surface. OSIRIS-REx used a robotic arm to release a burst of nitrogen gas, stirring up regolith (loose rocky material) collected in the sampler head. This mission marked the first time NASA successfully collected a sample from an asteroid, showcasing the agency’s technological capabilities. After successfully stowing the samples, OSIRIS-REx began its long journey back to Earth. The spacecraft covered over 200 million Continued on page 16
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