October 30: OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Collects Samples on Asteroid Bennu

In the face of the 2020 election, a pandemic, and the unrelenting tyranny of Zoom, it’s comforting to remember that there’s beauty and mystery to be found above us in space. Just last week, on October 20th, the NASA OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully landed on the asteroid Bennu to gather a rock sample after launching from Earth in September 2016 (read more about it on the NASA website: here). The team of scientists behind the mission reported that everything went to plan. While OSIRIS-REx isn’t the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid and collect a sample, it is the first one to have collected as much rock as it’s seeking to do. Three days ago, scientists confirmed that the spacecraft collected even more samples than intended - more than 60 grams total. OSIRIS-REx is slated to return to Earth with its precious cargo in 2023. 

It’s important to note that of the 122 people on the leading science team, only 36 of them identify as women - just 30% of the total (OSIRIS-REx team page: here). This highlights the work that we still have to do, particularly in astronomical and physical sciences, to ensure representation for women!  

Natalie is currently working on her undergraduate degree in neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. Her research is in DNA damage and repair, as well as chronic pain in a rare genetic disease called schwannomatosis. Natalie started volunteering with WIS PDX in 2019 as a member of the outreach and education team. When not listening to music or doom-scrolling on Twitter, she can be found checking closets for Narnia.