S8 Ep151: 4/4. The Perilous Return and Legacy of OSIRIS-REx — Dante Lauretta — The sample return capsule executed its descent over the Utah desert with dramatic complications. Critical anxiety ensued

4/4. The Perilous Return and Legacy of OSIRIS-REx — Dante Lauretta — The sample return capsule executed its descent over the Utah desert with dramatic complications. Critical anxiety ensued when the drogue parachute failed to deploy at the nominal 100,000 feet altitude, invoking memories of the Genesis mission mishap. The primary main parachute deployed successfully at 60,000 feet, confirming mission success and sample integrity. The spacecraft, subsequently rebranded OSIRIS-APEX, is now en route to asteroid Apophis, now under the leadership of Danny Dea Justina, carrying forward Lauretta's legacy of developing emerging scientific leaders and advancing planetary science exploration capabilities.