Asteroid Soil Return Mission today ~1550hrs

[Ross365]

Sometime about 1550 today, a NASA probe will return from its 7-year mission bringing back a soil sample from an asteroid. It should make a soft touch down under parachutes in the Utah desert.

What adds interest to this is that the last time NASA ran such a mission, the chutes failed and the landing was anything but "soft" (it's doing 27,000mph when it hits the atmosphere).

 

[Bullet2012]

(it's doing 27,000mph when it hits the atmosphere

That will produce a few fines as it goes over wales

 

[tom2207]

Sometime about 1550 today, a NASA probe will return from its 7-year mission bringing back a soil sample from an asteroid. It should make a soft touch down under parachutes in the Utah desert.

What adds interest to this is that the last time NASA ran such a mission, the chutes failed and the landing was anything but "soft" (it's doing 27,000mph when it hits the atmosphere).

and if the angle is a bit off , Nasa will be the new stone skipping champions of the world ,,, and they will be looking for that capsule thing some where near Iceland ,, or at abot 3000 ft down .
I did hear that they could track it with a telescope ,,,, be going some to follow that.

 

[Kram]

Being pedantic, soil implies organic and mineral mixture. Rock sample would be more accurate...

A massive waste of energy and resources in my opinion, with doubts that the contents will be all that interesting.

 

[Ross365]

The particular asteroid involved is regarded as one of those with a relatively high possibility of hitting the Earth in the future, so some knowledge of what it consists of could be useful.

Most human activity is a waste of energy and resources, as is perfectly illustrated by what's going on in the Ukraine.

 

[JohnH]

Much better value than HS2.

 

[gaz1]

we could always bring back another life form

what should stay in space should remain there on a space station if anything goes wrong it can be burnt in the sun

 

[Morrisman]

Being pedantic, soil implies organic and mineral mixture. Rock sample would be more accurate...

A massive waste of energy and resources in my opinion, with doubts that the contents will be all that interesting.

And maybe an alien virus or two...... Be afraid. Be very afraid.

 

[mike os]

we could always bring back another life form

what should stay in space should remain there on a space station if anything goes wrong it can be burnt in the sun

You been watching Life by any chance?

Actually I agree ... it's not like we don't have a space station is it ? And contamination risk while low must be greater than zero. It's hardly rocket science is it?

 

[julianf]

It's not the first sample from the asteroid. It's been sampled before and we have not had a zombie outbreak yet.

 

[julianthegypsy]

You been watching Life by any chance?

Actually I agree ... it's not like we don't have a space station is it ? And contamination risk while low must be greater than zero. It's hardly rocket science is it?

Ye gods that was a scary movie!

 

[Kayos]

You been watching Life by any chance?

Actually I agree ... it's not like we don't have a space station is it ? And contamination risk while low must be greater than zero. It's hardly rocket science is it?

Hey, let's prod, poke and generally annoy this alien lifeform...

OH MY GOD ITS ATTACKING US!!

To the surprise of no one

 

[gaz1]

You been watching Life by any chance?

Actually I agree ... it's not like we don't have a space station is it ? And contamination risk while low must be greater than zero. It's hardly rocket science is it?

yes and many more

metal eater lost in space

when it comes to contamination we should protect at all costs its why we have hasmat suits for the same thing and wash down any contamination in a contained enviroment

space is the same as any other planet out there

as goes for the space station i think its about time we made a larger one with world wide co operation and create artificial gravity

make air from plants air scrubbers plenty of films and series showing this effect its time it was implemented for space stations

 

[8ob]

(it's doing 27,000mph when it hits the atmosphere).

That should shake off a few illegals on the way down

Bob

 

[weldingnovice]

That will produce a few fines as it goes over wales

The 03 UK-US extradition treaty is a bit one sided, they won't have much to worry about.

 

[mike os]

It's not the first sample from the asteroid.

I didn't know that, I thought it was only the moon we had any regolith from, got any further information?

 

[Shox Dr]

You been watching Life by any chance?

Actually I agree ... it's not like we don't have a space station is it ? And contamination risk while low must be greater than zero. It's hardly rocket science is it?

I feel a film in the making

 

[voipio]

It's not the first sample from the asteroid. It's been sampled before and we have not had a zombie outbreak yet.

Asteroid Bennu has not been sampled before. The previous attempts to return samples from an asteroid were by Japan's Hayabusa mission, which returned samples from asteroid Itokawa, and Hayabusa 2, which returned samples from asteroid Ryugu. The Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is still operational and tasked for further asteroid near encounters.

 

[gaz1]

i dont see the point in making a small station we have the technology to make better

as a spinning reference for artificial gravity spining capsuls on end of extending struts is too much weight

babylon 5 and the ark, the expanse used a spinning drum

the expanse used spinning plants within a drum for air

i dont see the point in building these when you can build a spinning space station with gravity



when these are far superior and simplier to build

 

[Can'tWeld]

I was reading something about this yesterday and apparently the problem with spinning space stations is that centrifugal force is still a thing in space and you're introducing a load of forces that would require much heavier construction than the current crop of space stations.