OSIRIS-REx

[Christopher K.]

This mission is slated to leave Earth on Thursday 8 September at 6:05pm CDT. The plan is for this craft to reach asteroid Bennu in 2018 and return to Earth in 2023 a sample weighing at least fifty-nine grams.

More information:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/osiris-rex/index.html

[Christopher K.]

On Friday 26 August the Highland Road Park Observatory will present the lecture "OSIRIS-REx...to an Asteroid". It starts at 7:30pm, is aimed at a general adult audience and has no admission fee. After the talk and questions, there will be sky viewing (weather permitting) until 10pm.

Friday Night Lecture Series:
http://hrpo.lsu.edu/programs/friday.html

[Christopher K.]

The pre-launch news briefing for OSIRIS-REx will be rebroadcast on NASA-TV. The rebroadcasts will be at 7pm CDT today and 9am CDT and 5pm CDT tomorrow.

In May the spacecraft arrived at Kennedy Space Center. OSIRIS-REx stands for "Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security – Regolith Explorer".

More information:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/2016/ ... d-mission/

[Christopher K.]

So far, it's a "go"! The U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron predicts an eighty-percent chance of favorable conditions for OSIRIS-REx bidding goodbye to planet Earth. Please join us at the Highland Road Park Observatory if you can to watch the live broadcast.

More information:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/2016/ ... siris-rex/

[Christopher K.]

The live broadcast has begun!

View it at...
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public

Here are some important countdown points...
*T-60 minutes and counting: start Centaur engine chilldown
*T-55 minutes and counting: start flight control final preparations to raise hydraulic pressures
*T-45 minutes and counting: pressurize Main Engine Pneumatic System to flight pressure
*T-16 minutes and counting: initiate fuel fill sequence
*T-10 minutes and counting: weather briefing with Atlas Launch Weather Officer

[Christopher K.]

OSIRIS-REx made it out of our atmosphere nice and easy. The spacecraft stayed mated to the second stage of the Atlas V 411 for a full fifty-five minutes after launch.

More information:
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/evening-lau ... -encounter

[Christopher K.]

Tomorrow at 5:30am CDT NASA-TV3 will broadcast live interviews with the media regarding the close pass of OSIRIS-REx. OSIRIS-REx will pass by Earth tomorrow during a gravity assist; closest approach is 11:52am CDT. Amateur astronomers are encouraged to ascertain whether they can view and/or image OSIRIS-REx with their equipment.

More information:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/20 ... ring-flyby
http://www.asteroidmission.org/mission/

[Christopher K.]

OSIRIS-REx arrives at its target (the asteroid Bennu) Monday morning! "Journey to Asteroid Bennu" will play on both NASA-TVs at 10:15am CST that morning; one-half hour later the live coverage begins on the Media Channel. HRPO will be open from 10:15am to 1:45pm on Monday 3 December. Personnel will have drinks and refreshments, and solar viewing from 11am to 1pm (weather permitting). All HRPO merchandise during this 210-minute period will be ten percent off--a good deal for those looking for presents!

More information:
https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astrono ... oid-bennu/

[Christopher K.]

"X Marks the Spot" is a new feature on the OSIRIS-REx mission that will be shown tomorrow at 12pm CST at nasa.gov/live.

On the morning of 11 October, the Madrid telecommunications section of the Deep Space Network had a power outage. Engineers employed something called a super late update to save collected data.

More information:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/20 ... id-mission

[Christopher K.]

At 4pm CDT, NASA Live should be broadcasting a live ninety-minute question-and-answer session regarding the OSIRIS-REx mission. Thomas Zurbuchen of the Science Mission Directorate and Lori Glaze of the Planetary Science Division will take part. This event is in anticipation of the long-awaited attempt of the spacecraft to collect material from the asteroid 101955 Bennu.

More information:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/mission-ch ... -s-surface