On 3 December 2018, NASA confirmed that OSIRIS-REx had matched the speed and orbit of Bennu at a distance of about 19 km (12 mi), effectively reaching the asteroid. OSIRIS-REx performed closer passes of the Bennu surface, initially at about 6.5 km (4.0 mi) through December to further refine the shape and orbit of Bennu. Bennu was chosen as the target of study because it is a “time capsule” from the birth of the Solar System. On 11 October 2023, the recovered capsule was opened to reveal a “first look” at the asteroid sample contents. It spent the next two years analyzing the surface to find a suitable site from which to extract a sample. Preliminary spectroscopic surveys of the asteroid’s surface by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft detected the presence of hydrated minerals in the form of clay. The exercise took OSIRIS-REx as close as 65 m (213 ft) from the surface before performing a back-away burn. 505 days of surface mapping at a distance of approximately 5 km (3.1 mi). The OSIRIS-REx Visible and IR Spectrometer (OVIRS) is a spectrometer which maps minerals and organic substances on the asteroid’s surface. OSIRIS-REx entered the cruise phase shortly after separation from the launch vehicle, following successful solar panel deployment, propulsion system initiation, and establishment of a communication link with Earth.

6 mi) from Jupiter, the PolyCam instrument aboard OSIRIS-REx successfully imaged the giant planet and three of its moons, Callisto, Io, and Ganymede. In August 1992, JPL scientist Robert Staehle called Pluto discoverer Clyde Tombaugh, requesting permission to visit his planet. 1992 after covering almost the whole planet. Block I improvements also included a new, two-duct powerhead (rather than the original design, which featured three ducts connected to the HPFTP and two to the HPOTP), which helped improve hot gas flow, and an improved engine heat exchanger. Block I (RS-25B): First flown on STS-70, the Block I engines offered improved turbopumps featuring ceramic bearings, half as many rotating parts, and a new casting process reducing the number of welds. Phase I: Used for missions STS-6 – STS-51-L, the Phase I engine offered increased service life and was certified for 104% RPL. Phase II (RS-25A): First flown on STS-26, the Phase II engine offered a number of safety upgrades and was certified for 104% RPL & 109% full power level (FPL) in the event of a contingency. Rather than provide these complicated covariance structures, an ensemble sampling the uncertainty distribution provides a complete and accessible representation of the full uncertainty distribution.

The easiest samples to find are worth a point each and range from a red hockey puck to an orange PVC pipe. Using the simulator will allow the team at NASA’s Langley Research Center to “fly” the Dream Chaser in a wide range of atmospheric conditions, as well as several different flight scenarios. A total of 46 reusable RS-25 engines, each costing around US$40 million, were flown during the Space Shuttle program, with each new or overhauled engine entering the flight inventory requiring flight qualification on one of the test stands at Stennis Space Center prior to flight. Particularly noteworthy operations include the James Webb Space Telescope, which was launched in 2022 and enables investigations across many fields of astronomy and cosmology, such as observation of the first stars and the formation of the first galaxies. Potter, Sean; Hambleton, Kathryn; Fairley, Tiffany; Cheshier, Leah (November 16, 2022). “Liftoff! NASA’s Artemis I Mega Rocket Launches Orion to Moon” (Press release). Hambleton, Kathryn; Buckingham, Valerie; Northon, Karen (August 27, 2015). “NASA Concludes Series of Engine Tests for Next-Gen Rocket” (Press release). Mohon, Lee; Henry, Kim (June 11, 2015). “We have Ignition: NASA Space Launch System RS-25 Engine Fires Up for Third Test in Series”.

SLS (June 11, 2023). “On June 8, @NASA conducted the 10th certification test of an RS-25 engine at @NASAStennis, continuing a critical hot fire series to facilitate the production of new engines for future SLS (Space Launch System) flights. Watch the engine ignite!” (Tweet) – via Twitter. Thompson, C. Lacy; Dean, LaToya (January 12, 2023). “NASA Conducts RS-25 Engine Hot Fire at Stennis for Future Artemis Missions” (Press release). Dean, LaToya (June 15, 2023). “NASA Nears Completion of Key RS-25 Certification Test Series”. Dumoulin, Jim (June 29, 2001). “51-F”. Barclay, Thomas; Dotson, Jessie (May 29, 2014). “K2 Campaign 0 (March 8, 2014 – May 30, 2014)”. NASA. If true, this ancestor may be the first metabolic enzyme in life on Earth. On May 24, 2017, DARPA announced that they had selected The Boeing Company to complete design work on the XS-1 program. Howell, Elizabeth (January 24, 2024). “NASA fires up powerful Artemis moon rocket engine in key test (video)”. On January 16, 2021, the RS-25 engines were fired again, during a hot-fire test as part of the Artemis program.