CRITICAL FUNCTIONS: ORIGINS SPECTRAL INTERPRETATION RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION SECURITY-REGOLITH EXPLORER (OSI…

Public award description

CRITICAL FUNCTIONS: ORIGINS SPECTRAL INTERPRETATION RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION SECURITY-REGOLITH EXPLORER (OSIRIS-REX) PROJECT / REGOLITH X-RAY IMAGING SPECTROMETER (REXIS). THE ORIGINS SPECTRAL INTERPRETATION RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION SECURITY-REGOLITH EXPLORER (OSIRIS-REX) MISSION S PRIMARY GOAL IS AN EARTH RETURN OF REGOLITH SAMPLE FROM A TYPE-B NEAR EARTH OBJECT (NEO) ASTEROID. THE OSIRIS-REX MISSION WILL GATHER THIS SAMPLE THROUGH A SPACECRAFT CONSISTING OF A SCIENCE INSTRUMENT SUITE, A TOUCH-AND-GO SAMPLE ACQUISITION MECHANISM (TAGSAM) AND A SAMPLE RETURN CAPSULE (SRC). THE SPACECRAFT WILL RENDEZVOUS WITH THE NEO, OBSERVE, CHARACTERIZE AND MAP THE ASTEROID, AND FINALLY DESCEND, PERFORM A TOUCH-AND-GO MANEUVER, RETRIEVE A REGOLITH SAMPLE AND DEPART FROM THE ASTEROID. THE OSIRIS-REX SPACECRAFT WILL THEN NAVIGATE BACK TOWARDS EARTH AND JETTISON THE SRC FOR A LANDING IN THE UTAH DESERT. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION ARE TO UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINS OF PLANETARY MATERIALS AND THE INITIAL STAGES OF PLANETARY FORMATION; IDENTIFY THE SOURCES OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND OTHER PREBIOTIC CHEMICALS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE EMERGENCE OF LIFE ON EARTH; EXPLORE A NEO TO GAIN A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF POTENTIAL RESOURCES; AND ENABLE THE LONG TERM PREDICTION OF THE DYNAMICS OF NEOS THAT POSE AN IMPACT HAZARD TO EARTH. IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS EFFORT, WHICH CULMINATES IN THE LAUNCH OF THE OSIRIS-REX SPACECRAFT ON OR ABOUT SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 AND INCLUDES AN ADDITIONAL 30 DAYS OF SUPPORT, THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE FACILITIES, PERSONNEL, SERVICES AND MATERIALS TO OVERSEE AND DIRECT ALL ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND PROJECT SCIENCE EFFORTS. THE SCOPE COVERS PHASE B/C/D OF THE OSIRIS-REX LIFE CYCLE.