NASA’s Osiris-REx probe is launched toward the asteroid Bennu. Osiris stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer, and Osiris is also a deity associated with life, fertility, death, and resurrection. Bennu is a bird, symbolizing birth and resurrection. The probe is from Lockheed Martin, is powered by hydrazine, and the sample retrieval system is guided by an Artificial Intelligence system. It is the third mission of the New Frontiers program (after New Horizons to Pluto and Juno to Jupiter, the fourth is expected to be a nuclear-powered drone to explore Titan’s lakes).
