OSIRIS-REx TAG Event: Animations

Data-driven animation showing how the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft impacted asteroid Bennu's surface when it touched down and collected a sample. On October 20, 2020, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample of asteroid Bennu. The event revealed surprising details about Bennu’s surface and near-subsurface.00:01 - One second after contact, OSIRIS-REx injected Bennu with pressurized nitrogen gas, causing an explosion of particles and driving loose material into its sample collector.00:06 - Six seconds after contact, while it was still sinking into Bennu, OSIRIS-REx fired its thrusters to begin the back-away maneuver.00:09 - Nine seconds after contact, thrusters on board OSIRIS-REx halted its descent into Bennu, pushing it away from the asteroid, and blasting loose material from the sample site. The spacecraft’s arm had sunk almost half a meter beneath the surface – far deeper than expected, confirming that Bennu’s surface is incredibly weak.00:16 - Sixteen seconds after contact, the arm fully reemerged from the subsurface. OSIRIS-REx had collected a handful of material and kicked up roughly six tons of loose rock.00:30 - Thirty seconds after contact, it shut off its thrusters and drifted away from Bennu. OSIRIS-REx will return its sample to Earth in September 2023.Learn more about the surface properties of asteroid Bennu. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages

"Wave Off" Scenario "Tip Over" Scenario "Boulder" Scenario "Pile of Rocks" Scenario Space exploration is notoriously difficult. Getting to the surface of an asteroid and backing away in one piece requires planning for lots of stuff that could go wrong. This resource page provides animations of various "What if?" scenarios that OSIRIS-REx could encounter on its way to the surface of asteroid Bennu. OSIRIS-REx is NASA's first asteroid-sample return mission. Its goal is to study Bennu and return a sample to Earth in 2023.All animations available in 4K Ultra HD resolution. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages

Real-time animation of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-And-Go (TAG) Event. This animation accurately depicts the spacecraft's journey to the surface of Bennu. On October 20, 2020, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touched down on near-Earth asteroid Bennu and collected a sample of pristine material for return to Earth. The Touch-And-Go (TAG) Event was a feat of engineering, carefully monitored by mission controllers at Lockheed Martin Space and broadcast live on NASA-TV.During the broadcast, the real-time animation above allowed viewers to follow OSIRIS-REx as it slowly maneuvered to the surface of Bennu. This animation is based on the spacecraft's nominal trajectory and an accurate 3D model of the asteroid's terrain. Broadcast playback was adjusted for the light-time delay from Bennu to Earth (plus signal processing), providing viewers with a real-time window onto the TAG Event.Highlights can be found at the following animation time steps (hours: minutes: seconds):00:29:03 - First move to Y-Wing configuration00:34:29 - Second move to Y-Wing configuration00:39:54 - Y-Wing configuration complete00:43:27 - Checkpoint engine burn start00:54:34 - Matchpoint engine burn start01:05:10 - TOUCH asteroid Bennu01:05:18 - Back-away engine burn start01:06:43 - Begin slew to Pegasus configurationAnimation frames are organized into chapters for ease of download. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages

This visualization depicts the OSIRIS-REx TAG on October 20, 2020. The OSIRIS-REx satellite is represented by an orange dot and trail. The visualization begins with the satellite’s departure from orbit and continues through the checkpoint, matchpoint, TAG, and backaway maneuvers. This is a closer view of the TAG, focusing on the checkpoint, matchpoint, TAG, and backaway maneuvers. White labels appear to highlight checkpoint and matchpoint. The TAG location is indicated with a marker that changes from white to green once the TAG has occurred. This a closer view of the TAG in a Bennu-fixed reference frame. A thin green line shows the future trajectory of OSIRIS-REx down to the TAG site. White labels appear to highlight checkpoint and matchpoint maneuvers. The TAG location is indicated with a marker that changes from white to green once the TAG has occurred. This is a view of the TAG event from the perspective of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. The visualization begins with the satellite’s departure from orbit and continues through the checkpoint, matchpoint, TAG, and backaway maneuvers. This is a view of the TAG event from the perspective of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. The visualization begins with the satellite’s departure from orbit and continues through the checkpoint, matchpoint, TAG, and backaway maneuvers. This version is about four times slower than the previous version and includes more of the backaway. This is a slower view of the TAG event from the perspective of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. The visualization begins just after the checkpoint maneuver and continues through matchpoint, TAG, and backaway. On Oct. 20, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will perform the first attempt of its Touch-And-Go (TAG) sample collection event. This series of maneuvers will bring the spacecraft down to site Nightingale, a rocky area 52 ft (16 m) in diameter in Bennu’s northern hemisphere, where the spacecraft’s robotic sampling arm will attempt to collect a sample. Site Nightingale was selected as the mission’s primary sample site because it holds the greatest amount of unobstructed fine-grained material, but the region is surrounded by building-sized boulders. During the sampling event, the spacecraft, which is the size of a large van, will attempt to touch down in an area that is only the size of a few parking spaces, and just a few steps away from some of these large boulders.During the 4.5-hour sample collection event, the spacecraft will perform three separate maneuvers to reach the asteroid’s surface. The descent sequence begins with OSIRIS-REx firing its thrusters for an orbit departure maneuver to leave its safe-home orbit approximately 2,500 feet (770 meters) from Bennu's surface. After traveling four hours on this downward trajectory, the spacecraft performs the “Checkpoint” maneuver at an approximate altitude of 410 ft (125 m). This thruster burn adjusts OSIRIS-REx’s position and speed to descend steeply toward the surface. About 11 minutes later, the spacecraft performs the “Matchpoint” burn at an approximate altitude of 177 ft (54 m), slowing its descent and targeting a path to match the asteroid's rotation at the time of contact. The spacecraft then descends to the surface, touches down for less than sixteen seconds and fires one of its three pressurized nitrogen bottles. The gas agitates and lifts Bennu’s surface material, which is then caught in the spacecraft’s collector head. After this brief touch, OSIRIS-REx fires its thrusters to back away from Bennu’s surface and navigates to a safe distance from the asteroid. Related pages

Overhead view of OSIRIS-REx at sample site Nightingale, with a parking lot for comparison.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab/University of Arizona Surface-level view of OSIRIS-REx at sample site Nightingale, with a parking lot for comparison.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab/University of Arizona OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission. Its main science goal is to collect a sample of near-Earth asteroid Bennu for return to Earth in 2023. These animations show a size comparison of the planned sample collection area before arriving at Bennu (orange), and after arriving at Bennu (blue). The original mission plan envisioned a sample site with a diameter of 164 feet (50 m). However, the sampling region for site Nightingale is approximately 26 ft (8 m) in diameter. The area safe enough for the spacecraft to touch is the width of a few parking spaces. For More InformationSee [asteroidmission.org](https://www.asteroidmission.org/nightingalesamplingarea/) Related pages

Global view of asteroid Bennu with insets of the four candidate sample collection sites. This animation is available in Hyperwall resolution (5760x3240).This video is also available on our YouTube channel. Looping animation of asteroid Bennu. This animation is available in Hyperwall resolution (5760x3240).This video is also available on our YouTube channel. PRIMARY SAMPLE SITE: NIGHTINGALECloseup view of Nightingale, the primary sample collection site. Nightingale is located near Bennu’s north pole, and sits inside a 66-foot-wide crater. This animation is available in Hyperwall resolution (5760x3240).Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. BACKUP SAMPLE SITE: OSPREYCloseup view of Osprey, the backup sample collection site. Osprey is located just north of Bennu’s equatorial bulge, and sits inside a 66-foot-wide crater. This animation is available in Hyperwall resolution (5760x3240).Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel.This video is also available on our YouTube channel. Closeup view of Kingfisher, a candidate sample collection site. Kingfisher is located just north of Bennu’s equator, and is centered on a small crater surrounded by boulders. This animation is available in Hyperwall resolution (5760x3240).This video is also available on our YouTube channel. Closeup view of Sandpiper, a candidate sample collection site. Sandpiper resides in Bennu’s southern hemisphere, on the floor of a large crater. This animation is available in Hyperwall resolution (5760x3240).This video is also available on our YouTube channel. When NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018, its close-up images confirmed what mission planners had predicted nearly two decades before: Bennu is made of loose material weakly clumped together by gravity, and shaped like a spinning top. This major validation, however, was accompanied by a major surprise. Scientists had expected Bennu’s surface to consist of fine-grained material like a sandy beach, but instead OSIRIS-REx was greeted by a rugged world littered with boulders – the size of cars, the size of houses, the size of football fields.The main science goal of OSIRIS-REx is to briefly touch down on Bennu and collect a sample for return to Earth, but the asteroid’s unexpected roughness could pose a hazard to the spacecraft. Areas for safely touching down are fewer and smaller than anticipated, and OSIRIS-REx will have to navigate to them with unprecedented accuracy.In mid-2019, mission planners identified four candidate sample collection sites, and named them after birds that can be found in Egypt: Osprey, Kingfisher, Nightingale, and Sandpiper. In December 2019, mission planners announced that they had selected Nightingale as the primary sample collection site, and Osprey as the backup. Late in 2020, OSIRIS-REx will descend to Bennu's surface and collect a sample of pristine material from the origins of the solar system that will be studied on Earth for decades to come.The 3D animations on this page were created using laser altimetry data and imagery of Bennu taken by OSIRIS-REx. The animations are available in Hyperwall resolution (5760x3240). For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages