Project Asteroid: Mapping Bennu

PLACES LEFT WHERE WE CAN JUST GO AND SEE SOMETHING WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THE CONTINENTS HAVE BEEN EXPLORED. THE OCEANS HAVE BEEN CROSSED. BUT I CAN GET A TEAM OF PEOPLE, INCREDIBLY SMART, MOTIVATED, HARD-WORKING PEOPLE, AND WE CAN BUILD SOMETHING AND SEND IT INTO SPACE, WHERE NO ONE'S EVER GONE, TAKE PICTURES OF THINGS NO ONE'S EVER SEEN, AND THAT'S INCREDIBLY REWARDING AND EXCITING.

YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND YOU CAN'T WAIT TO GET TO WORK TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT, AND DO SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO REMEMBER.

MUSIC

Man

MOST ASTEROIDS ARE IN A ZONE OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM, FARTHER OUT THAN MARS AND CLOSER THAN JUPITER. MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT THERE WAS A PLANET THAT WAS TRYING TO FORM IN THAT ZONE, AND IT, FOR WHATEVER REASON, NEVER QUITE FORMED. SO MOST ASTEROIDS ARE ORBITING THE SUN OUT BEYOND MARS IN THIS ASTEROID BELT. THEY'RE JUST PILES OF RUBBLE AND ROCK THAT NEVER QUITE MADE IT INTO A PLANET.

THERE'S ANOTHER CLASS OF ASTEROIDS WHICH FORMED MUCH FARTHER OUT IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM. WE THINK THOSE FORMED FROM THE EARLY DUST THAT CONDENSED TO FORM OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, AND THEY'VE REMAINED VERY PRIMITIVE. BENNU IS PROBABLY ONE OF THOSE. WHAT MAKES THEM ESPECIALLY INTERESTING IS WE THINK THEY HAVE ORGANIC MATERIAL.

WHAT MAKES THAT EVEN MORE INTERESTING IS, AS THOSE ASTEROIDS FELL TO EARTH AND BROUGHT PRIMITIVE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS, THAT MAY VERY WELL HAVE BEEN THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF ORGANIC MATERIALS THAT EVENTUALLY LED TO LIFE ON EARTH, AND EVENTUALLY LED TO US.

MUSIC

Christensen

FOR MOST OF MY CAREER, I'VE BEEN STUDYING MARS. FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS, MY TEAM AND I HERE AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY HAVE BEEN BUILDING INSTRUMENTS TO DO JUST THAT. A FEW YEARS AGO, OUR COLLEAGUES DOWN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA CALLED AND ASKED IF WE WANTED TO BUILD AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE OSIRIS-REx MISSION TO GO AND STUDY THE ASTEROID BENNU.

Man

MY NAME IS GREG MEHALL. I'M THE PROJECT ENGINEER ON THE OSIRIS-REx THERMAL EMISSIONS SPECTROMETER INSTRUMENT. THAT IS ONE OF THE SCIENCE PAYLOADS ABOARD THE OSIRIS-REx SPACECRAFT THAT WILL BE USED TO STUDY THE MINERALOGY AND THERMAL PROCESSES ON THE ASTEROID. OSIRIS-REx WILL STUDY BENNU FOR A YEAR.

WE LAUNCH IN 2016, SEPTEMBER. WE GET THERE ABOUT TWO YEARS LATER. WE STUDY THE ASTEROID FOR A YEAR USING THE VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS ON BOARD. WITH THOSE DATA, WE SELECT THE OPTIMAL SELECTION FOR THE SAMPLE SITE.

ONCE THAT SAMPLE SITE IS SELECTED, WE'LL DO MULTIPLE MANEUVERS ABOVE THE SAMPLE SITE TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THE SPACECRAFT AND THE INSTRUMENTS ARE CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING THAT SAMPLE. ONCE IT'S TIME TO DO THE SAMPLING, THE SPACECRAFT WILL DESCEND SLOWLY TO THE SURFACE, COLLECT THAT SAMPLE, PUT IT INTO A STORAGE CONTAINER, AND RETURN IT BACK TO EARTH. SO THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THIS MISSION REALLY IS TO BRING 60 GRAMS OF THIS ASTEROID BACK TO THE EARTH, BECAUSE IT'S THAT SAMPLE THAT SCIENTISTS WILL USE FOR DECADES TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE COMPOSITION AND GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF THESE OBJECTS. ONE OF THE KEYS ASPECTS OF OSIRIS, WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO AN OBJECT YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO, YOU WANT TO TAKE AS BROAD A SUITE OF INSTRUMENTS AS YOU CAN, BECAUSE YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO FIND.

THERE ARE FIVE SCIENCE INSTRUMENTS ON OSIRIS-REx. THE OLA., OR OSIRIS LASER ALTIMETER, IS DESIGNED TO MAP THE SHAPE AND TOPOGRAPHY OF BENNU. THAT WILL ALLOW US TO LAND SAFELY. THERE'S A STUDENT INSTRUMENT CALLED REXIS THAT WAS PART OF A COMPETITION, AND A GROUP AT M.I.T.

WERE SELECTED TO BUILD THAT INSTRUMENT. THEN THERE'S THE THREE PRIMARY REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS, STARTING WITH THE OCAMS., THE OSIRIS CAMERA SYSTEM. THAT'S A SUITE OF INSTRUMENTS, SUITE OF CAMERAS THAT VIEW FROM A DISTANCE AND UP EXTREMELY CLOSE. THEN THERE'S THE OVIRS., THE OSIRIS VISIBLE AND NEAR INFRARED SPECTROMETER.

IT MEASURES NEAR INFRARED LIGHT, MEASURES THE SPECTRA OF THE LIGHT COMING FROM BENNU, AND MEASURES ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND OTHER MATERIALS ON THE SURFACE. THEN FINALLY, THERE'S OTES, OR THE OSIRIS THERMAL EMISSION SPECTROMETER, THAT WE BUILT HERE AT A.S.U. FROM THAT SUITE OF REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS, WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THE MOST INTERESTING PLACE IS TO LAND, FIND THE SAFEST PLACE TO LAND, AND PICK UP OUR SAMPLE AND BRING IT HOME.

MUSIC

Man

THE OSIRIS-REx THERMAL EMISSION SPECTROMETER IS AN INFRARED SPECTROMETER BASED ON THE MARS ROVER INSTRUMENTS THAT WE BUILT THAT WERE CALLED THE MINI-TES INSTRUMENTS. THOSE LAUNCHED ON THE "SPIRIT" AND "OPPORTUNITY" ROVERS BACK IN 2003, AND HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE SURFACE OF MARS SINCE. THE IDEA WAS TO ADAPT THAT INSTRUMENT TO THE OSIRIS-REx MISSION SO THAT WE COULD DO COMPARABLE SCIENCE AT THE ASTEROID AS WE'VE DONE AT MARS. WHAT OTES DOES IS IT MEASURES THE EMITTED INFRARED LIGHT, AND THEN IT BREAKS THAT LIGHT UP INTO A SPECTRUM -- MUCH LIKE IF YOU TAKE VISIBLE LIGHT AND YOU PUT IT THROUGH A PRISM, BREAKS IT UP INTO ITS COLORS.

NOW EVERY MINERAL, EVERY ROCK, EVERY COMPOUND HAS A VERY UNIQUE DIAGNOSTIC SPECTRUM. WE MEASURE THE LIGHT. WE BREAK IT UP INTO THE SPECTRUM. THEN WE COMPARE THAT SPECTRUM TO A LIBRARY OF SPECTRA WE'VE MEASURED OF EVERY KNOWN MINERAL.

IT'S SORT OF LIKE FINGERPRINTS. HERE'S A SPECTRUM FROM BENNU. WHAT DOES IT MATCH IN OUR LIBRARY? THAT'S ITS ROLE.

THAT'S WHAT IT DOES.

MUSIC

Mehall

THIS MISSION IS EXCITING FOR A.S.U., BECAUSE IN THE PAST, ALL THE PREVIOUS JOBS THAT WE'VE DONE HERE AT A.S.U. HAVE BEEN DONE WITH PARTNERS IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO BUILD AN INSTRUMENT ON CAMPUS. WE BUILT NON-FLIGHT TEST INSTRUMENTS IN THE PAST, BUT NOTHING THAT'S GONE INTO SPACE.

BEING BUILT ON CAMPUS OBVIOUSLY ADDS A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ON THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. SO A.S.U. HAS CREATED THIS NEW BUILDING, AND IT INCLUDES MANY LABORATORIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL TEST AREAS THAT WE NEED TO BUILD THIS INSTRUMENT. THAT BUILDING INCLUDES A CLASS 10,000 CLEAN ROOM, WHICH IS COMPARABLE TO WHAT WE'D USE IN AN AEROSPACE COMPANY TO DO THIS TYPE OF WORK.

Christensen

WE STARTED WITH A COMPLETELY EMPTY, LARGE ROOM. WE STARTED SAYING, "WE NEED THIS AND WE NEED TWO OF THOSE, AND WE NEED SOME OPTICAL BENCHES. WE NEED ALL THIS EQUIPMENT." JUST OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE BEEN BUYING THAT STUFF AND FILLING UP THIS ROOM. I THOUGHT I KNEW WHAT GOES INTO AN INSTRUMENT LIKE THIS, BUT I'VE BEEN AMAZED AT THE AMOUNT OF STUFF THAT IT TAKES TO BUILD AN INSTRUMENT OF THIS COMPLEXITY.

WE JUST CONSTANTLY ARE BUYING THE EQUIPMENT, THE TOOLS, THE FACILITIES THAT WE NEED. IT'S JUST AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF STUFF GOES INTO JUST BEING ABLE TO DO THIS.

MUSIC

Christensen

PERHAPS THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS TEAM IS THE REMARKABLE SPAN OF EXPERIENCE. THE HEART AND SOUL OF THIS TEAM IS STILLMAN CHASE. STILLMAN IS OUR SYSTEM ENGINEER. HE'S THE LEAD ENGINEER.

HE REALLY SETS THE TONE FOR THE ENTIRE PROJECT. HE HAS BEEN MY MENTOR AND ROLE MODEL OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS. JUST A REMARKABLE MAN. AT THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM ON OUR TEAM IS IAN KUBIK, WHO'S OUR MECHANICAL ENGINEER, HEATHER BOWLES, WHO'S OUR MISSION ASSURANCE ENGINEER.

THEY WERE BOTH UNDERGRADUATES HERE AT A.S.U. WHEN THEY STARTED ON THIS PROJECT, AND NOW THEY'RE PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS OF OUR ENGINEERING STAFF. IN BETWEEN, THE CORE OF THIS GROUP, GREG MEHALL, WHO'S OUR PROJECT ENGINEER. HE'S REALLY THE LEADER OF THIS GROUP.

HE'S THE ONE WHO'S ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING THIS INSTRUMENT WORK. DAN PELHAM, WHO'S OUR LEAD OPTICAL ENGINEER, HE IS IN CHARGE OF THE OVERALL OPTICAL AND MECHANICAL DESIGN, MAKING SURE THE THING WORKS THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO. THEN BILL O'DONNELL, WHO IS REALLY THE HANDS OF THIS OPERATION. HE'S LITERALLY THE GUY WHO HAS PUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF OUR INSTRUMENTS TOGETHER, ASSEMBLED ALL THE INTRICATE LITTLE PIECES.

COLLECTIVELY, THIS GROUP, THEY'RE REMARKABLY DIFFERENT. THEY HAVE DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES. THEY HAVE DIFFERENT SKILLS. BUT THOSE DIFFERENCES ACTUALLY ARE WHAT LEAD TO THE CREATIVITY AND THE INNOVATION THAT MAKES A PROJECT LIKE THIS SO POWERFUL AND SO MUCH FUN TO BE A PART OF.

MUSIC

Christensen

I AM HERE FOR THE OTES CRITICAL DESIGN REVIEW, ALSO CALLED THE CDR. CDRs ARE AN IMPORTANT GATE FOR EACH OF OUR INSTRUMENT TEAMS, AS WELL AS OUR SPACECRAFT TEAM, AS WE GO THROUGH WHAT WE CALL GATES TO THE NEXT LEVEL. THE CRITICAL DESIGN REVIEW FOR OTES IS REALLY A MILESTONE IN WHICH WE CAN BE ASSURED THAT THEY'VE DEMONSTRATED THAT THE DESIGN MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS NECESSARY TO PERFORM THE MEASUREMENTS THAT WE NEED AT BENNU, THE ASTEROID. TO HELP US WITH OUR SAMPLE SITE SELECTION, AS WELL AS A LOT OF IN SITU SCIENCE.

WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW WHERE WE'VE COMPLETED OUR TWO PRIMARY REVIEWS OF THE DESIGN, THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN REVIEW AND THE CRITICAL DESIGN REVIEW. WE PASSED THOSE REVIEWS WITH PLENTY OF EXTERNAL PEER REVIEW, WITH EXCELLENT STANDING. VERY FEW ISSUES WERE BROUGHT UP THAT WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT. WE ALL KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE THAT A PAPER DESIGN AND A MECHANICAL PHYSICAL DESIGN ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.

SO THE CHALLENGES NOW ARE MOSTLY TO MAKE SURE WHAT WE PUT ON PAPER GETS BUILT PROPERLY. EVERY INSTRUMENT THAT YOU BUILD IS UNIQUE. IT'S A ONE OF A KIND INSTRUMENT. FOR THESE TYPE OF DEVELOPMENTS, THERE'S A LOT OF UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS.

YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY GO AND DO IT. AS YOU FIND, WHICH IS NORMAL, YOU'RE GOING TO RUN INTO CERTAIN TECHNICAL CHALLENGES. YOU'RE GOING TO RUN INTO SUBCONTRACTOR CHALLENGES. YOU RUN INTO ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES FROM VARIOUS TEST FACILITIES.

ALL THOSE THINGS HAPPEN. YOU CAN'T REALLY PREDICT THEM. SO WHAT YOU DO IS YOU PUT ENOUGH MARGIN IN YOUR SCHEDULE TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE POTENTIAL ISSUES. WHEN WE LAID OUT THIS SCHEDULE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT, WE ENSURED THAT WE TOOK A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH ON THE SCHEDULE, YET WE PUT A LOT OF PLACES WHERE WE COULD SLIP AND STILL MAINTAIN OUR DELIVERY DATE.

RIGHT NOW, MID-JUNE IS OUR TARGET. WE HOPE TO DELIVER A COUPLE MONTHS BEFORE THAT, OF 2015. INSTALL ON A SPACECRAFT IN AUGUST OF 2015, AND THEN WE LAUNCH IN SEPTEMBER OF 2016.

MUSIC

Christensen

THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS, WE'VE GONE FROM A LOT OF PAPER ENGINEERING AND TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO, BUILDING AN ENGINEERING PRACTICE MODEL, TO ACTUALLY HAVING TO BUILD UP THE REAL FLIGHT INSTRUMENT. THAT'S A LOT HARDER. MAYBE IT'S LIKE A DRESS REHEARSAL VERSUS THE REAL THING. ALL OF A SUDDEN, HEY, IF I BREAK THIS OR DROP THIS OR GET A BEAD OF GLUE IN THE WRONG PLACE, IT'S NOT JUST A TEST MODEL ANYMORE, IT'S THE REAL THING.

Man

WE'RE AT THE STAGE OF THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD. WE'RE BUILDING SPECTROMETER, AND THIS INVOLVES MECHANICAL COMPONENTS AND OPTICAL COMPONENTS, MIRRORS, THINGS LIKE THAT. OUR JOB DAY-TO-DAY NOW IS TO MAKE SURE THE STUFF COMES TOGETHER, THAT IT'S BUILT PROPERLY. SO WHAT WE DO IS CAREFULLY ASSEMBLE AND ALIGN AND DO VARIOUS MEASUREMENTS TO ENSURE THAT EACH PIECE OF THE HARDWARE, AS WE'RE BUILDING IT, FUNCTIONS AS WE EXPECT.

MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS, THAT SORT OF THING. SO TODAY, FOR EXAMPLE, BILL COMPLETED THE ASSEMBLY OF WHAT WE CALL THE MOVING MIRROR ASSEMBLY. IT'S A COMPLEX LITTLE PIECE OF HARDWARE THAT ITS PURPOSE IN LIFE IS TO JUST MOVE BACK AND FORTH. IT MOVES A MIRROR.

IT'S GOT 100 COMPONENTS IN IT. VERY COMPLEX, SMALL, DETAILED WORK. THAT PROBABLY TOOK SEVERAL WEEKS OF HIS TIME TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE IT'S TOGETHER AND BUILT. WE TESTED TODAY.

IT WAS A REAL MILESTONE. FIRST PIECE OF FLIGHT HARDWARE WE PUT TOGETHER, AND IT LOOKS PERFECT. IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE.

Mehall

THE TEAM NOW IS GETTING ENERGIZED, BECAUSE THIS IS THE EXCITING PART. WE'RE BUILDING SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO FLY IN SPACE IN A COUPLE YEARS. OUR DNA IS PART OF THAT HARDWARE, AND IT'S GOING TO BE FLOATING AROUND IN SPACE FOR THE NEXT DECADE, HOPEFULLY DOING GREAT SCIENCE. THREE, TWO, ONE, POWER ON.

Christensen

YOU PLAN. YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE GOING TO BE. SOMETIMES YOU'RE RIGHT AND SOMETIMES YOU'RE WRONG. THE BIGGEST THING I'M WORRIED ABOUT IS OUR ONE DAY OF SCHEDULE MARGIN.

WE HAVE 250 TASKS LAID OUT, EACH ONE A DAY, TWO DAYS, A HALF A DAY, THREE DAYS. YOU PUT ALL THAT OUT, AND OKAY, WE'RE DONE ON JUNE 16th, AND THEY NEED IT ON JUNE 17th. THAT'S NOT MUCH MARGIN. YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE TWO OR THREE WEEKS OF MARGIN.

WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO DO IS WORK WEEKENDS AND WORK EVENINGS AND BUILD IN SOME MARGIN. WE'LL GET THERE.

Pelham

WE'RE IN THE HOME STRETCH. THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF ALL THAT WORK OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. THERE'S BEEN A FEW BUMPS IN THE ROAD, BUT PRETTY MINOR -- JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP IT INTERESTING, FROM AN ENGINEER'S POINT OF VIEW. WE'VE GOTTEN OVER THOSE.

PROBABLY THE BIGGEST HURDLE HAS BEEN, AND I THINK THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS, BUT ELECTRONICS ARE VERY COMPLICATED ON THESE INSTRUMENTS, AND THEY TAKE LONGER THAN EXPECTED. IT'S ALL HANDS-ON TIME NOW, SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THE CLEAN ROOM. THE LEVEL OF DETAIL WITH THIS STUFF IS KIND OF CRAZY. IF YOU PUT A SPOT OF GLUE HERE, YOU HAVE TO WRITE IT DOWN IN A BOOK.

SAY WHAT KIND OF GLUE IT WAS, WHEN YOU MIXED IT, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. IT'S A LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT YOU NEED TO BE COGNIZANT OF, BECAUSE SOMETIMES THINGS GO WRONG AND YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK THROUGH ALL THIS DOCUMENTATION AND DETERMINE WHAT YOU DID WRONG. MOST OF THE TIME, THINGS GO FINE, BUT WE'VE LEARNED THIS OVER THE YEARS, AND GODDARD AND NASA EXPECT THAT WE OBSERVE THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL IN EVERYTHING WE DO.

MUSIC

Mehall

IT'S PRETTY EXCITING FOR US, BECAUSE NOW WE'RE GOING TO START A PHASE CALLED THE ENVIRONMENTAL TEST PROGRAM. IN THAT PHASE, WHAT WE DO IS WE SIMULATE ALL OF THE ENVIRONMENTS OF OUTER SPACE. SO WE PUT THE INSTRUMENT THROUGH VIBRATION. WE PUT IT THROUGH ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE.

WE PUT IT THROUGH A THERMAL VACUUM TEST, AND SIMULATE ALL THOSE ENVIRONMENTS THAT THE INSTRUMENT MIGHT ENCOUNTER IN SPACE.

Christensen

RIGHT NOW, WE ARE DOING WHAT'S CALLED ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE TESTING. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR INSTRUMENT DOESN'T PRODUCE ELECTROSTATIC NOISE, OR THAT WE'RE NOT SENSITIVE TO NOISE MADE BY THE SPACECRAFT. IT'S LIKE IN THE OLD DAYS, WHEN YOU TURNED YOUR BLENDER ON IN THE KITCHEN, AND YOU'D GET STATIC ON THE TELEVISION. WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT.

SO WE'RE IN A CHAMBER THAT'S COMPLETELY ISOLATED FROM ALL ELECTRICAL NOISE SOURCES. THE ONLY THING ON IN THERE IS OTES. THESE GUYS HAVE ANTENNAS THAT ARE MEASURING ANYTHING WE'RE EMITTING. THEN WE TURN THAT AROUND, AND SAY, WE'RE REALLY QUIET, AND THEY'RE BOMBARDING US WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES AND RADIO WAVES AND ALL THAT STUFF TO SEE IF SUDDENLY WE STOP WORKING.

FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE SPACECRAFT ANTENNA, THE RADIO THAT IT USES TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE EARTH, IF THAT CAUSED US TO NOT WORK, THAT WOULD BE A PROBLEM. OR WE CAUSED THE ANTENNA COMMUNICATION TO NOT WORK, THAT WOULD BE A PROBLEM. THIS IS A VERY TEDIOUS TEST. YOU HAVE TO BE VERY THOROUGH AND VERY CAREFUL, AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T MISS SOMETHING.

IT TAKES A WHILE TO GET ALL THE BUGS OUT. SO FAR, LAST NIGHT WE HAD A LITTLE SCARE. WE SAW SOMETHING FUNNY IN THE DATA. WE WORRIED ABOUT IT OVERNIGHT.

THEN WE REALIZED THAT THE INSTRUMENT IS FINE. IT WAS SOFTWARE GUY ERROR, AND I'M THE SOFTWARE GUY. I SCREWED SOMETHING UP AND MADE EVERYBODY HAVE A SLEEPLESS NIGHT. I'M SORRY.

ANYWAY, SO WE'RE -- OTHER THAN THAT, WE'RE DOING WELL. WE'RE DOING FINE. WE'VE COMPLETED MOST OF THE TESTING. THE LAST THING WE HAVE TO DO IS THE THERMAL VACUUM TESTING.

WE SIMULATE SPACE. WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD AN INSTRUMENT THAT NOT ONLY CAN SURVIVE LAUNCH AND WORK IN SPACE, BUT IT ALSO NEEDS TO BE INCREDIBLY PRECISE AND GIVE VERY ACCURATE ANSWERS. WE'RE TRYING TO MEASURE THE TEMPERATURE OF THIS ASTEROID TO A FRACTION OF A DEGREE. TO DO THAT, YOU NEED A VERY ACCURATE INSTRUMENT.

WE HAVE BEEN DOING ALL OF OUR DETAILED TESTING IN THE VACUUM CHAMBER. TO DO THAT, WE PUMP ALL THE AIR OUT. UNFORTUNATELY, IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET IT VERY HOT, VERY COLD, SO WE HAVE HEATERS. THERE ARE THESE PIPES THAT CARRY LIQUID NITROGEN INTO WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A VACUUM.

YOU CAN IMAGINE, ALL THE LITTLE FITTINGS, THEY TEND TO LEAK. THE LIQUID NITROGEN IS EXTREMELY COLD, SO IF THINGS GET BRITTLE, AND WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE A VACUUM. SO WE'VE BEEN, FOR THREE OR FOUR DAYS NOW, CHASING DOWN THESE SMALL LITTLE LEAKS. THESE ARE LITERALLY LEAKS THAT ATOMS ARE COMING OUT OF.

BUT WE'RE CLOSE. I THINK WE'RE ONE LEAK AWAY FROM SOLVING THE PROBLEM. WHEN THAT'S DONE, THE INSTRUMENT, IT'S LITERALLY IN THERE FOR ALMOST A MONTH, SIMULATING WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE OUT IN SPACE. SO WE MAKE SURE THE INSTRUMENT WORKS.

WE DO ALL THE CALIBRATION OF IT SO WE CAN INTERPRET THE DATA. IT'S TAKING A LONG TIME, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE WORTH IT. THEN THAT'S THE LAST BIG TEST. AFTER SIX LONG WEEKS, WE JUST TOOK OTES OUT OF THE VACUUM CHAMBER.

IT HAS BEEN IN THERE FOR A REALLY LONG TIME, AND WE'VE EXERCISED IT. WE PUT IT THROUGH ALL ITS PACES. HELLO, MY LITTLE FRIEND. WHEN WE PULLED THE CHAMBER OPEN AND LOOKED IN, OTES WAS IN GREAT SHAPE.

IT LOOKED PERFECT. SO THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'RE DONE. WE'RE OUT OF THE CHAMBER. WE GOT THE DATA THAT WE NEEDED, BUT WE STILL HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS WE HAVE TO DO.

WE HAVE TO DO THE FINAL TESTING. THE WAY NASA WORKS IS WE TEST IT HERE, GET A BASELINE, SEE HOW IT WORKS, THEN WE TAKE IT TO LOCKHEED MARTIN AND WE TEST IT THERE. YOU MAKE SURE IT'S IDENTICAL. THEN YOU PUT IT ON THE SPACECRAFT AND YOU TEST IT.

YOU MAKE SURE IT'S IDENTICAL. THEN WE SAY, "IT'S YOURS. ANY CHANGES FROM NOW ON ARE SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENED ON THE LOCKHEED SIDE." WE HAVE TO DO THOSE FINAL SET OF TESTS. IT WILL TAKE A COUPLE HOURS.

THEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS JUST TO GET ALL THE STUFF READY TO SHIP IT. WE HAVE TO SHIP COMPUTERS AND POWER SUPPLIES AND TARGETS AND CABLES. THEN WE PUT IT IN A BOX, CLOSE IT UP, OFF IT GOES. THAT WAS WITHIN 13 JOULES PER KELVIN OF THE MEL-BASED ESTIMATE, SO I WAS HAPPY.

Woman

THIS IS ACTUALLY A HUGE DAY FOR US. OTES IS OUR FIRST INSTRUMENT THAT IS HAVING ITS PRE-SHIP REVIEW, MEANING THAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH ALL THE DATA AND MAKING SURE IT COMPLIES WITH ALL OF ITS REQUIREMENTS. WE'RE GOING TO ACCEPT IT -- THE REVIEW TEAM WILL ACCEPT IT AND THEN TAKE IT TO LOCKHEED MARTIN, OUR SPACECRAFT MANUFACTURER, AND INTEGRATE IT WITH THE SPACECRAFT. WE'RE VERY EXCITED, BECAUSE OTES LOOKS LIKE IT'S A PHENOMENAL INSTRUMENT, ONE OF THE BEST ONES A.S.U.

HAS PRODUCED. WE'RE VERY EXCITED. YOU GUYS ARE JUST ON YOUR GAME. IT'S REALLY BEEN AMAZING.

MUSIC

Christensen

AT THIS POINT IN TIME, THIS TEAM OF PEOPLE IS ABSOLUTELY EXHAUSTED. THEY'VE BEEN ON A VERY LONG ROLLER COASTER JOURNEY OF ELATION AND FRUSTRATION AND AGONY WHEN THINGS HAVEN'T WORKED WELL, WHEN WE'VE HAD PROBLEMS. BUT AFTER ALL OF THAT, IT'S DONE. THE INSTRUMENT IS BEAUTIFUL.

IT'S WORKING EXTREMELY WELL. THERE'S THIS INCREDIBLE SENSE OF ELATION AND PRIDE AND HAPPINESS AS WE'VE COMPLETED OUR JOB. WE'VE DONE WHAT WE SAID WE WERE GOING TO DO. OTES IS HEADING OUT THE DOOR TO CONTINUE ITS JOURNEY TO THE SPACECRAFT, AND THEN ON ITS WAY TO BENNU.

SO AFTER FOUR YEARS OF VERY HARD WORK, WE FINALLY HAVE DELIVERED OTES TO LOCKHEED MARTIN HERE IN DENVER. IT WAS A BIG DEAL TO GET IT HERE. WE BROUGHT IT IN, DELIVERED IT. THEY CHECKED IT OUT, AND WE SPENT THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS GETTING IT TESTED.

NOW WE'VE JUST PUT IT ON THE SPACECRAFT. RIGHT BEHIND ME IS OTES SITTING ON THE OSIRIS-REx SPACECRAFT. THIS IS ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS. THE OTES IS GOING TO LAUNCH ON OSIRIS-REx ON AN ATLAS ROCKET.

WE LAUNCH OUT OF CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, IN SEPTEMBER OF 2016. FOR THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF, OUR TEAM ON OTES WILL BE HERE AT LOCKHEED MARTIN, WORKING WITH THE LOCKHEED TEAM, TO ENSURE THAT THE SPACECRAFT IS ACTUALLY OPERATING THE WAY IT SHOULD. WE'LL GO THROUGH ALL THOSE VARIOUS QUALIFICATION TESTS, MAKE SURE ALL THE FLIGHT HARDWARE PERFORMS AS EXPECTED. HOPEFULLY, SEPTEMBER NEXT YEAR, WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL, SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH FROM FLORIDA ON THAT ATLAS V ROCKET.

MUSIC

Voice

T-MINUS ONE MINUTE AND COUNTING.

CHEERING

Pelham

IT REALLY IS THE CULMINATION OF YEARS OF BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS. FOR US TO BE TOGETHER AS A FAMILY, NOT ONLY OUR PERSONAL FAMILY, BUT THE GROUP AS A FAMILY, IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO CELEBRATE SUCH AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. IN FLORIDA, THE ANXIETY BUILDS. YOU NEVER KNOW IF THEY'RE GOING TO LAUNCH.

THAT'S PROBABLY THE RISKIEST PART OF THE WHOLE MISSION. STATUS CHECK. GO ALICE. GO CENTAUR.

GO OSIRIS-REx.

Christensen

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN MY DREAM TO ACTUALLY BUILD AN INSTRUMENT HERE AT A.S.U. FOR ME, OTES WAS THE FULFILLMENT OF THAT DREAM, AND IT WAS REALLY EXCITING TO ACTUALLY BUILD IT HERE AND PUT A TEAM OF PEOPLE TOGETHER. YOU PUT ALL THAT HARD WORK IN, YOU DO ALL THAT EFFORT, AND THEN YOU'RE DOWN IN FLORIDA, AND THE ROCKET IS ON THE PAD. THAT FEELING OF JUST EXHILARATION OF SAYING, "HEY, SOMETHING WE BUILT IS ON ITS WAY TO SOME PLACE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM." THERE'S NOTHING LIKE IT.

FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE...

ROCKET ENGINES ROARING

ROCKET ENGINES ROARING

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Christensen

GO, BABY! WHEN IT LEAVES THAT LAUNCH PAD, AND YOU SEE IT HEADING OFF INTO SPACE, THERE'S A HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF. FLORIDA REALLY IS THE CULMINATION OF ALL THAT GREAT HARDWARE DEVELOPMENT WORK. NOW WE HAND IT OFF TO THE SCIENTISTS TO LET THEM HAVE SOME FUN.

WE'LL SEE HOW IT GOES. I'M SURE IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT, SUCCESSFUL MISSION. ELATED. IT'S THE CULMINATION OF ALL OF IT.

IT'S UP, AND ALL THE HAZARDOUS MOMENTS ARE PAST US. IT'S NOW JUST -- WE DID IT. VERY EXCITING. NICE BEING HERE WITH EVERYONE ELSE TO EXPERIENCE IT TOGETHER.

WE'RE FIRED UP. IT WAS AMAZING. THAT'S IT. ANY ROCKET LAUNCH THAT'S SUCCESSFUL, THAT'S GREAT.

THAT WAS PROBABLY THE MOST EXITING THING I CAN THINK ABOUT. I CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN. IT'S JUST AN INCREDIBLY EXCITING EXPERIENCE TO BE PART OF THIS PROJECT. TO BUILD AN INSTRUMENT, TO EXPLORE THE SOLAR SYSTEM, TO SEND IT TO THIS UNIQUE LITTLE ASTEROID -- IT'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE, AND ONE THAT I REALLY HOPE THAT WE GET TO DO AGAIN SOME DAY.

MUSIC

Christensen

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