OSIRIS REx Probe Will Launch With Public Art Chip in September 2016

Summary: NASA's OSIRIS REx probe will launch in September 2016 carrying a public art chip to be deposited during sample collecting on asteroid Bennu.

artist's concept of OSIRIS-REx space probe collecting a sample from asteroid Bennu: Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA

NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer space probe, known acronymically as OSIRIS REx probe, will launch in September 2016 carrying public art saved on a chip for deposit on its destination, asteroid Bennu, according to NASA’s press release Friday, Feb. 19, 2016.

NASA is inviting the public, through its We The Explorers campaign, to participate in the asteroid-sample collecting mission by submitting artwork that will be placed on asteroid Bennu via a computer chip left by the OSIRIS REx probe. The artwork theme should express how the OSIRIS REx mission’s spirit of exploration plays as a reflection in the artwork creator's life.

“The development of the spacecraft and instruments has been a hugely creative process, where ultimately the canvas is the machined metal and composites preparing for launch in September,” explains Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS REx project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

“It is fitting that this endeavor can inspire the public to express their creativity to be carried by OSIRIS REx into space,” Dworkin adds.

The format of the submitted artwork includes graphics, photographs, poems, sketches, songs, video shorts or any other type of artistic or creative expression.

Via NASA’s We The Explorers website, the OSIRIS REx mission team invites those who are interested in submitting artwork to join the team in considering three big questions.

Question 1: “What does it mean to be an explorer like OSIRIS REx?”

Question 2: “What might this mission teach us about ourselves and our universe?”

Question 3: “How are we as a people stretched and deepened by explorations beyond our Earthly home?”

Participation is open to all age and skill levels. Submissions by minors (under age 18) require permission by a guardian or a parent.

The submission deadline is whichever occurs first: Sunday, March 20, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time or when drive capacity is reached. Submission details are provided at We The Explorers website (www.asteroidmission.org/WeTheExplorers).

The destination of the OSIRIS REx mission, Bennu, is a carbon-rich asteroid that is regarded as one of space’s most potentially dangerous asteroids. Near-Earth asteroid Bennu has a relatively high probability of an impact with Earth late in the 22nd century.

The OSIRIS REx mission’s determination of Bennu’s chemical and physical properties will provide critical data toward the development of an impact mitigation mission. The OSIRIS REx probe is charged with collecting a sample of at least 2.1 ounces (60 grams) and then returning the sample to Earth for scientific evaluation.

The launch window for the OSIRIS REx probe covers 39 days, beginning Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016. The OSIRIS Rex probe will be launched via an Atlas V rocket.

“Space exploration is an inherently creative activity,” notes Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for OSIRIS REx at the University of Arizona, Tucson. “We are inviting the world to join us on this great adventure by placing their art work on the OSIRIS REx spacecraft, where it will stay in space for millennia.”

Submission deadline is whichever occurs first: Sunday, March 20, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time or when drive capacity is reached: OSIRIS-REx @OSIRISREx, via Twitter Feb. 19, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

artist's concept of OSIRIS-REx space probe collecting a sample from asteroid Bennu: Generally not subject to copyright in the United States, via NASA @ http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/features/2010/osiris-rex-science.html

Submission deadline is whichever occurs first: Sunday, March 20, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time or when drive capacity is reached: NASA's OSIRIS-REx @OSIRISREx, via Twitter Feb. 19, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/OSIRISREx/status/700791173837754368

For further information:

Brown, Dwayne C., Laurie Cantillo and Nancy Neal Jones. "NASA Invites Public to Send Artwork to an Asteroid." NASA > Press Release > OSIRIS REx. Feb. 19, 2016.
Available @ http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-invites-public-to-send-artwork-to-an-asteroid

NASA's OSIRIS-REx‏ @OSIRISREx. "Let your artwork soar through the solar system with us! #WeTheExplorers." Twitter. Feb. 19, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/OSIRISREx/status/700791173837754368