dark mode light mode Search Menu
Search

Poor Instructions Almost Crashed OSIRIS-REx

The OSIRIS-REx mission in September 2023 dropped off a capsule to land on Earth with precious rare samples from an asteroid called Bennu. What happened during the descent shows the value of clear instructions when building anything. The lander had two parachutes, a small one to start slowing it down when in Earth’s atmosphere and then a main parachute to land softly on the ground. Confusion in the build instructions for the lander apparently caused the small chute to be cut instead of deployed. Fortunately, the main parachute deployed properly and NASA retrieved an intact lander.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/12/nasas-asteroid-mission-struck-its-target-but-then-dodged-a-bullet/

Source: https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kdwyqctp908?si=u14cPUfJkSdifWe0