#WeTheExplorers

It’s been seven years since NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission set out on its remarkable journey to collect and bring back samples from the asteroid Bennu, a mission that I’ve been following closely.

Back then, in 2016, NASA invited people to submit their artwork to travel aboard the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, and I decided to send one of my paintings aboard (in digital format).

If the #OSIRISREx team votes, “Go,” then we’ll see the capsule land later today in the Utah desert. If they vote, “No go,” then the spacecraft will divert with the capsule on board and the next attempt won’t be until 2025.

Asteroid Bennu is a well preserved, 4.5-billion-year-old remnant of our solar system. Scientists believe the sample from the carbon-rich, near-Earth asteroid Bennu will help them learn more about how our solar system and planets evolved, as well as the origin of organics that may have led to life on Earth. The sample is thought to weigh about half a pound or 250 grams +/- 101 grams.

I found my original Instagram post from the launch day.

OSIRIS-APEX

With a new name to reflect the extended mission’s new goals, OSIRIS-APEX (OSIRIS-APophis EXplorer) will explore Apophis, an asteroid roughly 1,200 feet (roughly 370 meters) in diameter that will come within 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) of Earth in 2029. OSIRIS-APEX will enter orbit around Apophis soon after the asteroid’s Earth flyby, providing an unprecedented close-up look at this S-type asteroid. It plans to study changes in the asteroid caused by its close flyby of Earth and use the spacecraft’s gas thrusters to attempt to dislodge and study the dust and small rocks on and below Apophis’ surface.