ADVERTISEMENT
Get Started
  • About Homebase Tv | Hbtvghana.com
  • Advertise
  • Broadcast Live
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Vacancies
  • Contact Us – Connect With Us
Homebase Tv - Hbtvghana.com
  • Home
  • General News
  • Business News
  • Health
  • Life & Style
  • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Parliament
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • General News
  • Business News
  • Health
  • Life & Style
  • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Parliament
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Homebase Tv - Hbtvghana.com
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Samples from ‘most dangerous known rock in the Solar System’ brought to Earth

Mon, Sep 25 2023 4:27 AM
in Ghana General News, International, NASA
samples from most dangerous known rock in the solar system brought to earth
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on TelegramShare on Whatsapp
ADVERTISEMENT

Dusty samples from the “most dangerous known rock in the Solar System” have been brought to Earth. The American space agency Nasa landed the materials in a capsule that came down in the West Desert of Utah state.

The samples had been scooped up from the surface of asteroid Bennu in 2020 by the Osiris-Rex spacecraft.

Nasa wants to learn more about the mountainous object, not least because it has an outside chance of hitting our planet in the next 300 years.

But more than this, the samples are likely to provide fresh insights into the formation of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago and possibly even how life got started on our world.

There was jubilation when the Osiris-Rex team caught sight of their capsule on long-range cameras.

In the lab
Components such as the heatshield and back cover were removed in the temporary clean room
NASA

Touchdown on desert land belonging to the Department of Defense was confirmed at 10:52 local time (14:52 GMT), three minutes ahead of schedule.

ReadAbout

Chaos spreads as desperate Gazans wait for food to arrive

Harvard sues Trump administration for blocking foreign student enrolment

Trump threatens Apple with a 25% tariff if it doesn’t build iPhones in America

The car-tyre-sized container had come screaming into the atmosphere over the western US at more than 12km/s (27,000mph). A heatshield and parachutes slowed its descent and dropped it gently, perfectly on to restricted ground.

“This little capsule understood the assignment,” said Tim Priser, the chief engineer at aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin. “It touched down like a feather.”

Asked how the operation went to retrieve the capsule from the desert, some of the recovery workers returning in their helicopters told BBC News’ science team that it was “awesome”.

“I cried like a baby in that helicopter when I heard that the parachute had opened and we were coming in for a soft landing,” said Osiris-Rex principal investigator Dante Lauretta.

“It was just an overwhelming moment for me. It’s an astounding accomplishment.”

Landing location

Scientists are eager to get their hands on the precious cargo which pre-landing estimates put at some 250 grams (9oz).

That might not sound like very much – the weight of an adult hamster, as one scientist described it – but for the types of tests Nasa teams want to do, it is more than ample.

“We can analyse at a very high resolution very small particles,” said Eileen Stansbery, the chief scientist at Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Texas.

“We know how to slice and dice a 10 micron-sized particle into a dozen slices and to then map grain by grain at nano scales. So, 250 grams is huge.”

The capsule is lifted clear of the desert floor
Helicopters were sent out to retrieve the landed capsule
NASA/KEEGAN BARBER

Cleanliness was the watchword out in the desert. When the recovery teams caught up with the capsule on the ground, their motivation was to bring it back to a temporary clean room at the nearby Dugway army base as quickly as possible.

If, as researchers think, the sample contains carbon compounds that may have been involved in the creation of life then mixing the rocky material with present-day Earth chemistry has to be avoided.

“The cleanliness and preventing contamination of the spacecraft has been a really stringent requirement on the mission,” said Mike Morrow, the Osiris-Rex deputy project manager.

“The best way that we can protect the sample is just to get it from the field into the clean lab that we’ve set up here in a hangar as quickly as possible and get it under a pure nitrogen gas purge. And then it’s safe.”

This was achieved just before 13:00 local time, a mere four hours after touchdown.

The lab team disassembled the capsule, removing its heatshield and back cover but leaving the sample secure inside an inner canister.

Descent timings

This is being flown on Monday to a dedicated facility at Johnson where the analysis of the samples will begin.

UK scientist Ashley King will be part of a six-person “Quick Look” team that will conduct the initial assessment.

“I’m expecting to see a rocky type material that’s very soft, very fragile,” the Natural History Museum expert said.

“It’ll have clay minerals – silicate minerals that have water locked up in their structure. Lots of carbon, so I think we’ll probably see carbonate minerals, and maybe some things we call chondrules and also calcium-aluminium inclusions, which were the very first solid materials to form in our Solar System.”

C17 transporter
A C17 transporter will take the samples to a curation facility in Texas

Nasa is planning a press conference on 11 October to give its first take on what has been returned. Small specimens are to be distributed to associated research teams across the globe. They hope to report back on a broad range of studies within two years.

“One of the most important parts of a sample-return mission is we take 75% of that sample and we’re going to lock it away for future generations, for people who haven’t even been born yet to work in laboratories that don’t exist today, using instrumentation we haven’t even thought of yet,” Nasa’s director of planetary science, Lori Glaze, told BBC News.

Asteroid size comparison

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

  • President Commissions 36.5 Million Dollars Hospital In The Tain District
  • You Will Not Go Free For Killing An Hard Working MP – Akufo-Addo To MP’s Killer
  • I Will Lead You To Victory – Ato Forson Assures NDC Supporters

Visit Our Social Media for More

About Author

c16271dd987343c7ec4ccd40968758b74d64e6d6c084807e9eb8de11a77c1a1d?s=150&d=mm&r=g

hbtvghana

See author's posts

Discover interesting ones too

Reimagining Informality: Harnessing the Urban potential of street vending in Ghana

Reimagining Informality: Harnessing the Urban potential of street vending in Ghana

0
Reimagining Informality: Harnessing the Urban potential of street vending in Ghana

Reimagining Informality: Harnessing the Urban potential of street vending in Ghana

0

Former Yendi MP Dr Farouk Mahama donates towards funeral of late Mion chief

Former Yendi MP Dr Farouk Mahama donates towards funeral of late Mion chief

Ghana Gas board pledges accountability and staff support during operational tour

Burkina Faso’s uprising is a rebirth, not rebellion – Ras Mubarak

Democracy must deliver dignity and independence, not just regular elections – Ras Mubarak

Catholic Bishops urge President Mahama to declare galamsey state of emergency

Ras Mubarak urges African youth to lead liberation from neo-colonialism

Bawumia back on the road as NPP’s Thank You Tour resumes in Eastern Region

  • Ghana and Japan agree to pursue UN Security Council reforms

    Ghana and Japan agree to pursue UN Security Council reforms

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Beneath the Surface of the National Service Scheme (NSS)

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Boob Movement founder, Abby Zeus poses completely nude in bed (18+photo)

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Tiwonisam Dogs World Hosts 2nd Edition of Nala Memorial Lecture in Accra

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Steve Harvey’s Jaw-Dropping Revelation: Abandon Preconceptions and Embark on an African Adventure!

    65073 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow Homebase Tv

  • About Homebase Tv | Hbtvghana.com
  • Advertise
  • Broadcast Live
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Vacancies
  • Contact Us – Connect With Us

© 2014 Total Enjoyment & Proper News

No Result
View All Result

© 2014 Total Enjoyment & Proper News

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.