NASA discussing September arrival asteroid sample: Watch live today | Space

NASA will discuss the impending arrival of the asteroid sample collected by its OSIRIS-REx probe during a press conference today (Aug. 30), and you can watch it live.

That sample — about 8.8 ounces (250 grams) of dirt and gravel snagged from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu in October 2020 — is scheduled to land in the U.S. Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range on Sept. 24.

NASA will preview the highly anticipated event today, during a 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) press conference held at the Utah site. You can watch it live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA, or directly via the agency.

Related: Dramatic sampling shows asteroid Bennu is nothing like scientists expected

Participating in today’s OSIRIS-REx press conference are:

• Melissa Morris, OSIRIS-REx program executive, NASA Headquarters, Washington
• Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator, University of Arizona, Tucson
• Rich Burns, OSIRIS-REx project manager, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
• Sandra Freund, OSIRIS-REx program manager, Lockheed Martin, Littleton, Colorado
• Kevin Righter, OSIRIS-REx deputy curation lead, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston

These folks are in Utah already for a very good reason: They’re practicing for the big day.

“During the week of Aug. 30, the OSIRIS-REx mission team is testing their landing and recovery plans with the goal of reducing the time to safely retrieve the sample capsule from the desert floor and transport it to a clean room on base, protecting the rocks and dust collected…

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