OSISISREx sample return capsule after landing. Note the parachute in the picture.
I found it rather strange NASA named this space craft after the Egyptian god of the dead and underworld, until I found out "
OSIRIS-REx" is an acronym. The deputy principal investigator of the OSIRIS-REx team, Dante Lauretta, is a mythology buff, and came up with OSIRIS, which stands for "Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security." And tacked on later was the REX part for "Regolith Explorer."
In case you are not up on Egyptian Mythology, there is a myth about the god Osiris, his brother Set, and a large bejeweled wooden box. Set jealous of his brother, wants his throne. He manages to trick Osiris to get inside the box and then slams it close, sealing him inside. Set then takes the box to the Nile and dumps it in to the river. Later, Isis, his wife and sister, finds the wooden box with Osiris's body and opens it. She then hides her husband's body, so she can gather the things she needs to restore him to life. Meanwhile, Set finds the empty box, and also his brother's body. He then cuts up the body, and hurls the pieces all over Egypt. Isis later discovers this and yet with help, manages to restore her brother/husband, in a way. For the rest, I attached the full story, if you are interested.
Anyway, this story about Osiris, loosely parallels that of OSIRIS-REx (the asteroid mission),
which after collecting samples of Regolith, they will be transported back to Earth, where much like Osiris's body, they will then be distributed all over the world for scientists to analyze. Those samples may help the world understand the origins of organic materials.