NEW DELHI: Nasa‘s OSIRIS-REx mission has been honored with the National Aeronautic Association’s (NAA) Robert J Collier Trophy, recognizing it as the year’s most significant achievement in American aerospace. This prestigious accolade is in recognition of OSIRIS-REx’s groundbreaking endeavor — being the first US mission to collect and return a sample from an asteroid.
Celebrating a milestone in space exploration
The award will be presented to the OSIRIS-REx team at a ceremony in Washington, DC, on June 13, 2024, marking a significant milestone in space exploration history.“Congratulations to the OSIRIS-REx team on this well-deserved honor,” said Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson. “By successfully designing, building, and carrying out the first US mission to collect an asteroid sample, Nasa proved once again that we do big things. Things that inspire the world.”
A glimpse into the solar system’s origins
The OSIRIS-REx mission has opened a window into the early solar system by returning a sample from the ancient asteroid Bennu in September 2023. Scientists worldwide anticipate that the sample will shed light on the formation of planets and the origins of life-supporting organics. Moreover, data from the mission will enhance our understanding of potentially hazardous asteroids.
A continuation of distinguished contributions
The Collier Trophy is the latest addition to the accolades received by the OSIRIS-REx team, following the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy awarded in March 2024. The mission’s success has set the stage for the spacecraft’s next chapter as OSIRIS-APEX, which will study the near-Earth asteroid Apophis in 2029.
Collaboration and future endeavors
The OSIRIS-REx team, a collaboration between Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin, the University of Arizona, and KinetX, alongside international partners from the Canadian Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, exemplifies global cooperation in space research. This mission, part of Nasa’s New Frontiers Program, is set to continue contributing valuable insights into our solar system and beyond.
Nasa’s OSIRIS-REx mission
The main objective of Nasa’s OSIRIS-REx mission (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) was to travel to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, collect a sample, and bring it back to Earth for detailed analysis. This mission aimed to provide valuable information about the early solar system, the formation of our planet, and the origins of organic compounds that may have led to life on Earth. Additionally, the mission sought to gather data that could aid our understanding of asteroids that could pose an impact threat to Earth.