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OSIRIS-REx Operational Key Decision Points: A RetrospectiveOSIRIS-REx, NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission, rendezvoused with the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in 2018 and delivered a 121.6-gram sample to Earth in 2023 — the largest amount of material ever recovered from a planetary body beyond the Moon. The operations phase of OSIRIS-REx was considered the most challenging robotic mission that NASA had undertaken, owing to the tight constraints on spacecraft performance and the microgravity environment. In preparation for the sample collection and return campaign, the mission leadership defined four operational key decision points (OKDPs) at critical junctures: sample site selection, rehearsal and execution of the sample collection maneuver, sample stow, and Earth return. This publication examines these OKDPs in depth, inclusive of rationale, implementation, decision processes, and efficacy. We also review other decisions that enabled mission success despite the unexpectedly rugged nature of Bennu’s surface. This information should be beneficial for future challenging operational concepts where science-in-the-loop, time-critical decision making is integral to success.
Document ID
20250002700
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Rich Burns
(Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, United States)
Dante S Lauretta
(University of Arizona Tucson, United States)
Date Acquired
March 14, 2025
Subject Category
Systems Analysis and Operations Research
Space Sciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
SpaceOps-2025,ID # 381
Meeting Information
Meeting: 18th International Conference on Space Operations (SpaceOps 2025)
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Country: CA
Start Date: May 26, 2025
End Date: May 30, 2025
Sponsors: Canadian Space Agency
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNH09ZDA007O
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNM10AA11C
WBS: 385616.07.02.01
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Technical Review
Single Expert
Keywords
Sample Return
OSIRIS-REx
Bennu
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