NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission Awarded The Esteemed Collier Trophy For Aerospace Excellence

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission team has been honored with the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) for its significant achievement in aerospace and astronautics in America. This accolade was announced on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, recognizing the team's success in being the first U.S. mission to collect an asteroid sample and return it to Earth for analysis. The award ceremony is scheduled for June 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expressed his congratulations to the OSIRIS-REx team, highlighting the mission's role in inspiring global scientific curiosity and its contributions to understanding our solar system. The mission's success not only showcases NASA's capability to undertake ambitious projects but also sets a foundation for future scientific discoveries that could benefit humanity.

The Robert J. Collier Trophy has a long history of marking significant milestones in the field of flight and space exploration. Notable past recipients include Orville Wright, Chuck Yeager, and the crews of NASA’s Apollo missions, among others. The OSIRIS-REx mission joins this illustrious list, further cementing its place in aerospace history.

The OSIRIS-REx team is a collaboration between NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Lockheed Martin, the University of Arizona, Tucson, and KinetX, with contributions from international partners such as the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The mission's primary goal was to collect samples from the asteroid Bennu, which it successfully achieved in September 2023. These samples are expected to provide invaluable insights into the early solar system and the origins of organic materials essential for life on Earth.

Following its triumphant sample return, the spacecraft was renamed OSIRIS-APEX and is set to embark on an extended mission to study the near-Earth asteroid Apophis in 2029. This next phase will be managed by NASA Goddard with significant contributions from Lockheed Martin Space and KinetX Aerospace.

The processing and analysis of the Bennu samples are being conducted at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This collaborative effort underscores the global interest and investment in understanding our cosmic neighborhood better.

For more detailed information about NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission and its ongoing contributions to space exploration, visit [NASA's official website](https://science.nasa.gov/missions/osiris-rex).

The image captured by Erika Blumenfeld and Joseph Aebersold showcases the asteroid sample collected by OSIRIS-REx with remarkable clarity. This high-resolution image allows scientists and the public alike to examine the dust and rocks from Bennu up close, providing a tangible connection to space exploration's cutting-edge.