NASA’s First Asteroid Sample Has Landed, Now Secure in Clean Room

Sunday, 24 September 2023

After years of anticipation and hard work by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer) team, a capsule of rocks and dust collected from asteroid Bennu finally is on Earth. It landed at 8:52 a.m. MDT (10:52 a.m. EDT) on Sunday, in a targeted area of the Department of Defense’s Uta

Planetary Positions

28.04.2024 at 11:27:36 UTC

Planet	Longitude
The Sun	08 Tau 39' 47"
The Moon	01 Cap 00' 17"
Mercury	16 Ari 20' 05"
Venus	28 Ari 45' 52"
Mars	28 Pis 19' 34"
Jupiter	23 Tau 32' 04"
Saturn	16 Pis 24' 50"
Uranus	22 Tau 14' 37"
Neptune	28 Pis 51' 09"
Pluto	02 Aqu 05' 58"

Solar Status

BZ Status:	-2
Proton Density:	4.08
Proton Speed:	405.6 k/sec
KP Status:	1.33

Type	Apr 28	Apr 29	Apr 30
Active	35%	30%	20%
Minor	15%	10%	10%
Moderate	5%	1%	1%
Strong	1%	1%	1%
Kp Index Prediction
00-03UT	3.67	2.67	2.33
03-06UT	3.33	2.00	2.67
06-09UT	3.33	2.33	2.00
09-12UT	3.67	2.67	2.00
12-15UT	3.00	2.33	1.67
15-18UT	2.67	2.33	1.67
18-21UT	2.00	2.33	2.67
21-00UT	2.00	2.67	1.67
Solar Activity
Solar activity reached moderate (R1-Minor) levels as Region 3654 (S08W23, Esi/beta-gamma) produced an impulsive M3.0 flare at 27/2140 UTC. The region also produced C-class activity. It remains the largest region on the disk and exhibited moderate development in the intermediate and trailer spots. Region 3648 (N18W85, Cao/beta) produced a C4.9/Sf at 27/1628 UTC as it approached the WNW limb. Region 3657 (S15W32, Bxo/beta) reemerged with a few rudimentary spots and new Region 3660 (N10E62, Hsx/alpha) was numbered. The remaining regions were either stable or in decay.
Solar Wind
The solar wind environment was enhanced due to possible CME influence early in the period, followed by the onset of positive polarity CH HSS influences. Total field strength reached a peak of 16 nT and the Bz component was varied between +/-10 nT. Solar wind speeds were steady from 300-350 km/s until 27/0230 UTC, when speed values slowly increased to a period high of around 550 km/s. The phi angle was in a mostly positive orientation through the period.
Energetic Particle
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux was at normal to moderate levels and the greater than 10 MeV proton flux was steady at background levels.

NASA’s First Asteroid Sample Has Landed, Now Secure in Clean Room

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