It's out of this world!
Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx)
OSIRIS-Rex was the first American mission to retrieve samples from an asteroid. It successfully gathered surface materials from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in 2020 and then returned them to Earth on Sept 24, 2023 by dropping a Sample Return Capsule (SRC) into the atmosphere. This SRC withstood a fiery reentry that was hotter than the Apollo lunar missions, then deployed two parachutes to land in northwest Utah at a DOD training range. The main spacecraft, now renamed OSIRIS-APEX continued on, back into solar orbit on a new 7 year mission to observe another near-Earth asteroid Apophis.
The spacecraft and SRC were both designed and built here in Littleton Colorado at the Lockheed-Martin plant at Waterton Canyon, home to many prior Mars and deep space spacecraft. Bill Willcockson was one of the principal designers of the OSIRIS-REx SRC, his last spacecraft mission, before retiring in 2018 following a career spanning more than 40 years.
Purchase tickets here ($10 members/$12 non-members): https://www.simpletix.com/e/osiris-rex-mission-tickets-155204
Mission:
The Mission of the Conifer Historical Society and Museum is to share the region's legacy by collecting, preserving and exhibiting historical and cultural materials.