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NASA NTRS2017

Spectral Characterization of Analog Samples in Anticipation of OSIRIS-REx's Arrival at Bennu

NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission successfully launched on September 8th, 2016. During its rendezvous with near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu beginning in 2018, OSIRIS-REx will characterize the asteroid's physical, mineralogical, and chemical properties in an effort to globally map the properties of Bennu, a primitive carbonaceous asteroid, and choose a sampling location [e.g. 1]. In preparation for these observations, we spectrally characterized a suite of analog samples across visible, near- and thermal-infrared wavelengths and used these in initial tests of phase detection and abundance determination software algorithms. Here we present the thermal infrared laboratory measurements of the analog sample suite measured under asteroidlike conditions, which are relevant to the interpretation of spectroscopic observations by the OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer (OTES) [2, 3]. This suite of laboratory measurements of asteroid analogs under asteroid-like conditions is the first of their kind.

Donaldson Hanna, K. L.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Designing to Sample the Unknown: Lessons from OSIRIS-REx Project Systems Engineering

On September 8, 2016, the third NASA New Frontiers mission launched on an Atlas V 411. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) will rendezvous with asteroid Bennu in 2018, collect a sample in 2020, and return that sample to Earth in September 2023. The development team has overcome a number of challenges in order to design and build a system that will make contact with an unexplored, airless, low-gravity body. This paper will provide an overview of the mission, then focus in on the system-level challenges and some of the key system-level processes. Some of the lessons here are unique to the type of mission, like discussion of operating at a largely-unknown, low-gravity object. Other lessons, particularly from the build phase, have broad implications. The OSIRIS-REx risk management process was particularly effective in achieving an on-time and under-budget development effort. The systematic requirements management and verification and the system validation also helped identify numerous potential problems. The final assessment of the OSIRIS-REx performance will need to wait until the sample is returned in 2023, but this post-launch assessment will capture some of the key systems-engineering lessons from the development team.

Asteroid↗

NASA NTRS2017

OSIRIS-REx Contamination Control Strategy and Implementation

OSIRIS-REx will return pristine samples of carbonaceous asteroid Bennu. This manuscript describes how pristine was defined based on expectations of Bennu and on a realistic understanding of what is achievable with a constrained schedule and budget, and how that definition flowed to requirements and implementation. To return a pristine sample, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft sampling hardware was maintained at Level 100 A/2 and less than 180 nanograms per square centimeter of amino acids and hydrazine on the sampler head through precision cleaning, control of materials, and vigilance. Contamination is further characterized via witness material exposed to the spacecraft assembly and testing environment as well as in space. This characterization provided knowledge of the expected background and will be used in conjunction with archived spacecraft components for comparison with the samples when they are delivered to Earth for analysis. Most of all, the cleanliness of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was achieved through communication between scientists, engineers, managers, and technicians.

Dworkin, J. P.↗

NASA NTRS2018

The OSIRIS-REx Visible and InfraRed Spectrometer (OVIRS): Spectral Maps of the Asteroid Bennu

The OSIRIS-REx Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (OVIRS) is a point spectrometer covering the spectral range of 0.4 to 4.3 microns (25,000-2300 cm−1). Its primary purpose is to map the surface composition of the asteroid Bennu, the target asteroid of the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission. The information it returns will help guide the selection of the sample site. It will also provide global context for the sample and high spatial resolution spectra that can be related to spatially unresolved terrestrial observations of asteroids. It is a compact, low-mass (17.8 kg), power efficient (8.8 W average), and robust instrument with the sensitivity needed to detect a 5% spectral absorption feature on a very dark surface (3% reflectance) in the inner solar system (0.89-1.35 AU). It, in combination with the other instruments on the OSIRIS-REx Mission, will provide an unprecedented view of an asteroid's surface.

Reuter, D. C.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Reduced Organic Outgassing in the NASA Osiris-Rex and Hayabusa2 Curation Facility by Careful Selection and Implementation of Cleanroom Construction Materials

In October 2021, NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) Astromaterials Acquisition and Cu-ration Office in JSC bldg. 31 completed construction and commissioning of the OSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2cleanroom laboratory suites along with new precision cleaning and advanced curation laboratories: •OSIRIS-REx Curation Cleanroom: ISO Class 5•Hayabusa2 Curation Cleanroom: ISO Class 5•Final Precision Cleaning Cleanroom: ISO Class 5•Advanced Precision Cleaning Cleanroom: ISO Class 6•PreClean Precision Cleaning Cleanroom: ISO Class 6•Advanced Curation Cleanroom: ISO Class 7The new curation facilities are designed for initial receiving, basic characterization, curation processing, and preliminary examination of carbonaceous asteroidal material. The facilities are also designed to enable long-term pristine sample storage to preserve the scientific integrity of each sample to enable decades of future re-search by the international science community. The scientific study of organics in general is critical for both missions. The OSIRIS-REx mission executed a stringent contamination control plan [1] where all sample hardware at time of sample acquisition would be at Level 100 A/2 per IEST-STD-CC1246D (non-volatile residue (NVR) < 500 ng/cm2). In addition, the mission imposed a requirement of <180 ng/cm2 for amino acids (and hydrazine) [1]. Given these mission requirements, long-term storage preservation requirements, and information from the Organic Contamination Baseline Study at JSC [2], the JSC Curation team decided to carefully select cleanroom construction materials that would not hinder the scientific search for amino acids and the study of organics in the samples [3].

astromaterials curation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Cross-Calibration of GNC and OLA LIDAR Systems Onboard OSIRIS-REx

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission carried two distinct light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems: A scanning LIDAR called OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) as part of the science payload, and a flash LIDAR system has part of the Guidance, Navigation, & Control (GNC) subsystem to serve as a navigation sensor during TAG. This presents a unique opportunity to compare the performance of the two LIDAR systems in close proximity to a small asteroid body. During the Orbital B mission phase, between June to August 2019, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft orbited Bennu in a near-circular terminator orbit during which the altitude above the surface varied between 645 m to 740 m. Over five-week period observations were recorded with the OLA instrument that were subsequently used to construct a global digital terrain map (DTM) with a resolution of 5 cm and accuracy of ±20 cm. This model provides an excellent reference for assessing the performance of the GNC LIDAR system. Two different GNC LIDAR checkout activities were also conducted during the Orbital B phase: A limb-crossing check-out featured a series of slews to collect GNC LIDAR data across varying ranges and phase angles and operate the automatic gain control modes of the device; An OLA-GNC LIDAR cross calibration was designed to collect data from both the OLA and GNC LIDAR devices with overlapping footprints while the spacecraft was pointed nadir. This paper compares the on-orbit performance observed during the cross-calibration activity. The OLA-based global DTM and point clouds are used to evaluate the GNC LIDAR not available during previous analysis. The GNC LIDAR measurements were found to be well within accuracy and precision specified for the instrument, but much noisier than the measurements from OLA within this operating regime.

Jason M Leonard↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Sample Return and Preliminary Examination Timeline for the OSIRIS-REx Mission

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample of asteroid (101955) Bennu on October 20, 2020, using the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) [1,2,3]. After sample acquisition, the TAGSAM collection head was stowed in the Sample Return Capsule (SRC; Fig. 1) for transport back to Earth. On September 24, 2023, the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft will fly by Earth and release the SRC, which will land at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). The sample will be transported to the OSIRIS-REx curation facility, located within NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), where it will be examined, cataloged, and allocated for scientific analyses. Here we describe the timeline of operations for the return, recovery, and initial characterization of the Bennu sample.

Asteroid↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Identification of Presolar Grains in Quick Look Samples of Asteroid Bennu Returned By the OSIRIS-REx Mission

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned regolith sample from the B-type asteroid Bennu on September 24, 2023. The first samples to be analyzed, termed the Quick Look samples, are comprised of material collected from the avionics deck of the OSIRIS-REx sample canister. Initial mineralogical analysis of the Quick Look sample revealed a diversity of components, including hydrated and anhydrous silicates, sulfides, magnetite, phosphates, and abundant organic matter. Each constituent has their own origin and history, and their study can inform us of the history of Bennu and its parent asteroid. The analysis plan for asteroid Bennu samples is guided by hypotheses that address specific periods of Bennu’s history, from the pre-accretionary epoch to the OSIRIS-REx epoch. The pre-accretionary epoch studies aim to characterize materials that predate the formation of the solar system. One hypothesis that falls under this epoch is that Bennu contains presolar materials derived from diverse sources. These presolar materials include stardust grains that condensed from the outflows of evolved stars or the ejecta of novae and supernovae (SN), as well as organic matter that formed in the interstellar medium. Here we report the identification of C-rich presolar stardust grains in the Bennu Quick Look sample. Isotopically anomalous organic matter in this sample is reported in.

A N Nguyen↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

EVALUATION OF OSIRIS-REx CONTACT PAD SAMPLERS FOR BENNU SURFACE REGOLITH PARTICLES.

NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission returned material from asteroid Bennu to Earth in September 2023. In addition to the bulk sample (>70 g), OSIRIS-REx’s Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) also collected material from Bennu using surface particle collectors or contact pads. The TAGSAM head has 24 of these circular contact pads evenly distributed around the perimeter, each ~1.75 cm in diameter and consisting of stainless-steel Velcro-like loops. From their positions on the bottom of the TAGSAM head, the contact pads were intended to collect regolith material from the very surface of Bennu by trapping fine particles (<5 mm) in the Velcro. The science team would then be able to examine individual particles for evidence of surface exposure, particularly the microstructural, chemical, and spectral characteristics of space weathering. Here we present an evaluation of the OSIRIS-REx contact pads and the material they returned from Bennu.

M. S. Thompson↗

NASA NTRS2024

Constraining the Surface Exposure Age of Asteroid Bennu Using Cosmogenic Radionuclides in an OSIRIS-REx Aggregate Sample and Individual Particles

Observations by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft of asteroid Bennu revealed evidence that this small rubble-pile asteroid experiences several active surface processes that likely control its recent surface exposure history. In October 2020, the spacecraft collected a surface sample from a relatively young ~20 m diameter crater (Hokioi) on asteroid Bennu, and the sample was successfully delivered to Earth on September 24, 2023. Based on the population of craters >50 m diameter, Bennu’s surface is 0.1–1 Ga old, but the old surface is affected by recent processes including smaller meteoroid impacts, mass movement, and particle ejections. The sampling location within Hokioi crater was selected based on its relatively flat surface devoid of large boulders, but the crater floor is also believed to be one of the youngest surfaces on asteroid Bennu, with an age of <100 kyr. As the crater is ~2 m deep, the samples that were collected by OSIRIS-REx may have been relatively shielded from cosmic rays during most of its recent history. This scenario is different from the samples that were collected by Hayabusa2 from asteroid Ryugu, where cosmogenic noble gas and radionuclides indicate cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) ages of ~5 Myr near the surface. Our goal is to understand the recent exposure history of surface samples of asteroid Bennu utilizing radionuclides ( 10 Be, 26 Al, 36 Cl, 41 Ca) produced by both galactic (GCR) and solar (SCR) cosmic rays. With half- lives ranging from 0.1 to 1.36 million years (Myr), the concentrations of these cosmogenic nuclides provide information on the duration and exposure conditions (irradiation depth) of these samples on a timescale of a few Myr. This work will test one of the OSIRIS-REx mission’s driving hypotheses about asteroid Bennu’s recent evolution: that Hokioi crater is part of a population of small (25 m) spectrally red craters on Bennu that are less than 0.1 Myr old.

K. C. Welten↗

NASA NTRS2014

OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go (TAG) Mission Design for Asteroid Sample Collection

The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission is a NASA New Frontiers mission launching in September 2016 to rendezvous with the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in October 2018. After several months of proximity operations to characterize the asteroid, OSIRIS-REx flies a Touch-And-Go (TAG) trajectory to the asteroid's surface to collect at least 60 g of pristine regolith sample for Earth return. This paper provides mission and flight system overviews, with more details on the TAG mission design and key events that occur to safely and successfully collect the sample. An overview of the navigation performed relative to a chosen sample site, along with the maneuvers to reach the desired site is described. Safety monitoring during descent is performed with onboard sensors providing an option to abort, troubleshoot, and try again if necessary. Sample collection occurs using a collection device at the end of an articulating robotic arm during a brief five second contact period, while a constant force spring mechanism in the arm assists to rebound the spacecraft away from the surface. Finally, the sample is measured quantitatively utilizing the law of conservation of angular momentum, along with qualitative data from imagery of the sampling device. Upon sample mass verification, the arm places the sample into the Stardust-heritage Sample Return Capsule (SRC) for return to Earth in September 2023.

OSIRIS-REX TOUCH-AND-GO (TAG) MISSION DESIGN FOR A↗

NASA NTRS2017

Lessons Learned from OSIRIS-Rex Autonomous Navigation Using Natural Feature Tracking

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (Osiris-REx) spacecraft is scheduled to launch in September, 2016 to embark on an asteroid sample return mission. It is expected to rendezvous with the asteroid, Bennu, navigate to the surface, collect a sample (July 20), and return the sample to Earth (September 23). The original mission design called for using one of two Flash Lidar units to provide autonomous navigation to the surface. Following Preliminary design and initial development of the Lidars, reliability issues with the hardware and test program prompted the project to begin development of an alternative navigation technique to be used as a backup to the Lidar. At the critical design review, Natural Feature Tracking (NFT) was added to the mission. NFT is an onboard optical navigation system that compares observed images to a set of asteroid terrain models which are rendered in real-time from a catalog stored in memory on the flight computer. Onboard knowledge of the spacecraft state is then updated by a Kalman filter using the measured residuals between the rendered reference images and the actual observed images. The asteroid terrain models used by NFT are built from a shape model generated from observations collected during earlier phases of the mission and include both terrain shape and albedo information about the asteroid surface. As a result, the success of NFT is highly dependent on selecting a set of topographic features that can be both identified during descent as well as reliably rendered using the shape model data available. During development, the OSIRIS-REx team faced significant challenges in developing a process conducive to robust operation. This was especially true for terrain models to be used as the spacecraft gets close to the asteroid and higher fidelity models are required for reliable image correlation. This paper will present some of the challenges and lessons learned from the development of the NFT system which includes not just the flight hardware and software but the development of the terrain models used to generate the onboard rendered images.

Navigation↗

NASA NTRS2019

Successful Use of Microporous Polytetrafluoroethylene Flexible Thin Sheets in NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission

Microporous black polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) flexible thin sheets are successfully flown as solar diffusers on NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft. They serve as multilayer insulation (MLI) blanket outer covers for the arm of the Touch And Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), the sunshade of the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS) PolyCam imager, and the motor riser of the OCAMS SamCam imager. Additionally, microporous white PTFE flexible thin sheets are successfully flown as a MLI blanket outer cover with a low ratio of absorptance to emittance for the Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS). For ground testing, microporous black and white PTFE flexible thin sheets were successfully used as optical targets of the Touch And Go Camera System (TAGCAMS) NavCam imagers in the flight system thermal vacuum test.

OSIRIS-REx↗

NASA NTRS2020

Weak Spectral Features on (101995) Bennu from the OSIRIS-REx Visible and InfraRed Spectrometer

Context. The NASA Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission has obtained thousands of spectra of asteroid (101955) Bennu with the OSIRIS-REx Visible and InfraRed Spectrometer (OVIRS). Aims. We present a spectral search for minor absorption bands and determine compositional variations on the surface of Bennu. Methods. Reflectance spectra with low and high spatial resolutions were analyzed for evidence of weak absorption bands. Spectra were also divided by a global average spectrum to isolate unique spectral features, and variations in the strongest band depths were mapped on a surface shape model. The global visible to near-IR spectrum of Bennu shows evidence of several weak absorption bands with depths of a few percent. Results. Several observed bands are consistent with phyllosilicates, and their distribution correlates with the stronger 2.74-μm hydration band. A 0.55-μm band is consistent with iron and is deepest in the spectrally reddest areas on Bennu. The presence of hydrated phyllosilicates and iron oxides indicates substantial aqueous alteration in Bennu’s past. Conclusions. Bennu’s spectra are not identical to a limited set of carbonaceous chondrite spectra, possibly due to compositional properties and spatial scale differences; however, returned samples should contain a mixture of common chondrite materials.

OSIRIS-REx↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Materials-Compliant Containers in Preparation for OSIRIS-REx Sample Return

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) is a spacecraft that collected samples from near-Earth asteroid Bennu in 2020. NASA is expecting OSIRIS-REx to return about 250 grams of Bennu dust particles and rocky material (regolith) in the Sample Return Capsule landing on September 24, 2023.This carbonaceous material is predicted to be rich in water and organic compounds that will provide key information on the solar system's genesis. The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) curation team is preparing to process the returned regolith and flight hardware to support critical scientific investigations worldwide.

Curation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

OSIRIS-REx Entry, Descent, and Landing Performance

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) was the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers program. OSIRIS-REx launched out of Cape Canaveral, Florida on September 8, 2016, with a science goal to return a minimum of 60 g of a primitive asteroid’s surface, specifically the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The sample return capsule (SRC) successfully touched down at UTTR on the morning of September 24, 2023. The entry, descent, and landing (EDL) sequence had an off-nominal deployment of the parachute, but the spacecraft safely landed within the pre-flight prediction of the landing ellipse and the payload was safely recovered. This paper discusses the pre-flight EDL modeling and simulation and focus on predictions for EDL operations. Flight observations such as timeline are compared to the predicted timeline produced by the EDL simulation.

EDL↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

OSIRIS-REx Entry, Descent, and Landing Performance

EDL↗

NASA NTRS2026

The NASA OSIRIS-REx Sample Catalog: Samples Returned from Investigators

OSIRIS-REx is a sample return mission that collected carbon-rich material from B-type asteroid Bennu. After landing on September 24th, 2023, the science canister was transported to NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas where it was opened and samples were processed by the curation team in pristine sample nitrogen gloveboxes. As the sample analysis phase of the OSIRIS-REx mission concludes, the Sample Analysis Team (SAT) has returned the majority of mission samples to NASA JSC curation and will return the remaining samples on a defined timetable. The curation team processed and documented as many of these samples as possible to include in the spring 2026 catalog update and are steadily working to process hundreds of more samples to include in the fall 2026 catalog update.

OSIRIS-REx↗