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}} The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) is a planned NASA asteroid study and sample return mission. It is a planetary science mission, the third selected in the New Frontiers Program, after Juno and New Horizons. The launch is planned in 2016 and will study and return a sample of asteroid 101955 Bennu (formerly designated 1999 RQ36), a carbonaceous asteroid, to Earth in 2023 for detailed analyses. Material returned is expected to enable scientists to learn more about the time before the formation and evolution of the Solar System, initial stages of planet formation, and the source of organic compounds which led to the formation of life.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://gsfctechnology.gsfc.nasa.gov/ORIRIS.htm )〕 The cost of the mission will be approximately USD $800 million not including the launch vehicle, which is about $183.5 million.〔 Lockheed Martin has completed assembly of the spacecraft and it is now undergoing environmental testing. The Principal Investigator is Dante Lauretta from the University of Arizona. ==Mission== The mission, developed by the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and Lockheed Martin Space Systems, is planned for launch in September 2016.〔 The science team includes members from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Italy. After traveling for approximately two years, the spacecraft will rendezvous with asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) in 2018, and begin 505 days of surface mapping at a distance of approximately .〔 Results of that study will be used by the mission team to select the sample site and the gradual process of approaching, but not landing, and ultimately extending a robotic arm to gather the sample. An asteroid was chosen as the target of study because an asteroid is a 'time capsule' from the birth of our Solar System. In particular, 101955 Bennu was selected because of the availability of pristine carbonaceous material, a key element in organic molecules necessary for life as well as representative of matter from before the formation of Earth. Organic molecules, such as amino acids, have previously been found in meteorite and comet samples, indicating that some ingredients necessary for life can be naturally synthesized in outer space.〔 Following collection (from 60 grams to 2 kilograms, or 2.1 oz to 4.4 lb) in September 2019, the sample will be returned to Earth in a capsule similar to that which returned the samples of comet 81P/Wild on the Stardust spacecraft. The return trip to Earth will be shorter, allowing the sample to return and land at the Utah Test and Training Range in September 2023. The capsule will then be transported to the Johnson Space Center for processing in a dedicated research facility.〔 The acronym OSIRIS was chosen in reference to the ancient Egyptian mythological god Osiris, the underworld lord of the dead. He was classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs and wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side. Rex means 'king' in Latin.〔 His name was chosen for this mission as asteroid Bennu is a threatening Earth impactor capable of causing vast destruction and death. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「OSIRIS-REx」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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