Geophysical Observations of the 24 September 2023 OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule Re-Entry

TL;DR

This paper reports on a large-scale geophysical observational campaign capturing data from the 2023 OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule re-entry, providing valuable insights into meteoroid atmospheric interactions and improving related models.

Contribution

It presents the first comprehensive, multi-instrument geophysical dataset of a well-characterized interplanetary capsule re-entry, involving over 400 sensors and multiple observational platforms.

Findings

Near-universal detection of re-entry signals across instruments

High-quality data capturing atmospheric shock phenomena

Enhanced models for meteoroid entry and propagation

Abstract

Sample Return Capsules (SRCs) entering Earth's atmosphere at hypervelocity from interplanetary space are a valuable resource for studying meteor phenomena. The 24 September 2023 arrival of the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) SRC provided an unprecedented chance for geophysical observations of a well-characterized source with known parameters, including timing and trajectory. A collaborative effort involving researchers from 16 institutions executed a carefully planned geophysical observational campaign at strategically chosen locations, deploying over 400 ground-based sensors encompassing infrasound, seismic, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), and GPS technologies. Additionally, balloons equipped with infrasound sensors were launched to capture signals at higher altitudes. This campaign (the largest of its kind so far) yielded a wealth of invaluable data anticipated to fuel scientific inquiry for years to come. The success of the observational campaign is evidenced by the near-universal detection of signals across instruments, both proximal and distal. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the collective scientific effort, field deployment, and preliminary findings. The early findings have the potential to inform future space missions and terrestrial campaigns, contributing to our understanding of meteoroid interactions with planetary atmospheres. Furthermore, the dataset collected during this campaign will improve entry and propagation models as well as augment the study of atmospheric dynamics and shock phenomena generated by meteoroids and similar sources.