OSIRIS-REx - Asteroid Bennu Sample Site Finalists

This visualization depicts the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s trajectory around the asteroid Bennu from the initial arrival in Dec 2018 through the final departure in April 2021. The trajectory is presented in a Sun Bennu North reference frame. Several mission segments are highlighted in white, leading up to the TAG sample collection maneuver on Oct 20, 2020. This is a single layer of the Web Around Bennu visualization that includes just the asteroid and the orbit lines with a transparent background. This is a single layer of the Web Around Bennu visualization that includes just the star background This is a single layer of the Web Around Bennu visualization that includes just dates The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft arrived at near-Earth asteroid Bennu in December 2018. After studying the asteroid for nearly two years, the spacecraft successfully performed a Touch-And-Go (TAG) sample collection maneuver on October 20, 2020. The spacecraft will remain in asteroid Bennu’s vicinity until May 10, when the mission will enter its Return Cruise phase and begin its two-year journey back to Earth. This data visualization presents the mission’s complete trajectory during its time at Bennu. Related pages

Looping animation of asteroid Bennu rotating. This 3D model of Bennu was created using 20cm resolution laser altimetry data and imagery taken by OSIRIS-REx. Looping animation of sunlight sweeping across the surface of Bennu. This 3D model of Bennu was created using 20cm resolution laser altimetry data and imagery taken by OSIRIS-REx. Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu. The Nightingale sample site is visible in the northern hemisphere. Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu. The Nightingale sample site is visible in the northern hemisphere. Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu 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 3D animations on this page were created using laser altimetry data and imagery of Bennu taken by OSIRIS-REx.The Bennu albedo map was generated using images acquired by PolyCam during Baseball Diamond Flyby 1. The images were photometrically normalized to represent the innate albedo of Bennu’s surface. Details for the creation of the map can be found in the forthcoming publication “A High-Resolution Normal Albedo Map of Asteroid (101955) Bennu” by Golish et al. Icarus (2020). Polar regions that were not imaged in Flyby 1 are visualized using the Bennu global basemap, created from PolyCam images acquired during Baseball Diamond Flybys 3 and 4. Details for the creation of the basemap can be found in “A high-resolution global Basemap of (101955) Bennu” by Bennett et al. Icarus (2020). Related pages

After a year of studying asteroid Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx mission chose a location called “Nightingale” as the primary sample collection site.Universal Production Music: “Extreme Measures” by John Sands and Marc Ferrari, “Ice Echoes” by Dominik Luke Marsden Johnson, “Look at the Mirror” by Jonathan FigoliWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. Thermal map of asteroid Bennu OSIRIS-REx is a NASA mission to explore near-Earth asteroid Bennu and return a sample to Earth. Prior to arriving at Bennu, mission planners had expected the asteroid’s surface to consist largely of fine particulate material, similar to gravel. When OSIRIS-REx arrived in December 2018, however, it was greeted by a rocky world covered with boulders.This unexpected ruggedness means that there are few places on Bennu where OSIRIS-REx can safely touch down and collect a sample. After a year of studying the asteroid, the mission announced a primary sample collection site, which they designated “Nightingale,” along with a backup site called “Osprey.” In October 2020, OSIRIS-REx will descend to Bennu and attempt to collect up to four-and-a-half pounds of loose material, for return to Earth in 2023.Learn more about the selection of sample site Nightingale. In the thermal map above, asteroid Bennu’s surface temperatures dramatically change from the night side to the day side, experiencing swings of 270 degrees Fahrenheit. The time that it takes for an object to heat up or cool down is determined by its thermal inertia — a property that can be useful in the remote study of planetary bodies.Fine particulate materials like sand or gravel tend to heat up and cool down quickly (low thermal inertia), while solid objects like rocks and boulders do so more slowly (high thermal inertia). By observing how a distant body like Bennu changes temperature over the course of a day, scientists can usually infer the average size of particles on its surface.Before OSIRIS-REx arrived, scientists had observed that Bennu’s surface heats up and cools down relatively quickly, leading them to predict a mean particle size of about 2-3cm. OSIRIS-REx, however, was greeted by a predominantly rocky asteroid, littered with giant boulders. This discrepancy is one of the major surprises of the OSIRIS-REx mission. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages

Recorded audio from the OSIRIS-REx approach media teleconference on August 24, 2018, with accompanying presenter graphics. Individual graphics are available below.Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. 1. Jones - OSIRIS-REx Approach Phase opening remarksCredit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 1. Glaze - Planetary FleetCredit: NASA 2. Glaze - New FrontiersCredit: NASA 3. Glaze - Small-Body Missions and Common ThemesCredit: NASA/University of Arizona 1. Lauretta - OSIRIS-REx AcronymCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 2. Lauretta - OSIRIS-REx InstrumentsCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 3. Lauretta - The first image of asteroid 101955 Bennu(Available here as both a GIF and mp4 video.)Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Aug. 17, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft obtained the first images of its target asteroid Bennu from a distance of 1.4 million miles (2.2 million km), or almost six times the distance between the Earth and Moon. This cropped set of five images was obtained by the PolyCam camera over the course of an hour for calibration purposes and in order to assist the mission’s navigation team with optical navigation efforts. Bennu is visible as a moving object against the stars in the constellation Serpens. 4. Lauretta - OSIRIS-REx Mission Operations TimelineCredit: University of Arizona 5. Lauretta - Approach TimelineCredit: University of Arizona 1. Moreau - Cruise and Approach phasesCredit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 2. Moreau - Preliminary Survey and Orbit ACredit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 3. Moreau - Small bodies and asteroid Bennu to scaleCredit: NASA/University of Arizona/ESA/JAXA 4. Moreau - Optical Navigation phasesCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 1. Freund - The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at Lockheed MartinCredit: Lockheed Martin Space 2. Freund - The OSIRIS-REx Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM)Credit: Lockheed Martin Space 3. Freund - TAGSAM deployment test at Lockheed MartinCredit: Lockheed Martin Space 4. Freund - TAGSAM deployment during Approach PhaseCredit: Lockheed Martin Space NASA is hosting a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 24, to provide an update on upcoming activities related to the agency’s first mission to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth.The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft, which launched on Sept. 8, 2016, started asteroid science operations last week, began imaging asteroid Bennu for the first time, and is now preparing to conduct the necessary approach maneuvers to rendezvous with Bennu on Dec. 3. The mission represents a valuable opportunity to learn more about the origins of our solar system, the sources of water and organic molecules on Earth, and the hazards and resources in near-Earth space. The briefing participants are:Lori Glaze, acting director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA HeadquartersDante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, TucsonMichael Moreau, OSIRIS-REx flight dynamics system manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterSandy Freund, OSIRIS-REx mission support area manager at Lockheed Martin SpaceFor more information, go to nasa.gov/osiris-rex or asteroidmission.org. Related pages

B-roll and canned interviews to be added on Thursday, Sept 21OSIRIS is pronounced: O-Si-Ris B-roll for OSIRIS-REx Live Shots on September 22nd, 2017 Canned interview with NASA Scientist Dr. Michelle Thaller with graphics rolled into answers. Full transcript is included. Answers are separated by slates with the questions Canned interview with NASA Goddard Chief Scientist Dr. Jim Garvin looking off camera. Includes full transcript. Answers are separated by slates with the questions on them. TRT 4:41 Canned interview without graphics rolled into the answer. Scientist is NASA Scientist Dr. Michelle Thaller. TRT 3:51. Includes full transcript. Question slates separate the answers. NASA's first-ever mission to collect an asteroid sample will get a boost from Earth THIS Friday. On Friday, Sept. 22, Earth's gravity will slingshot OSIRIS-REx toward its target, a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu. Scientists believe asteroids like Bennu may have seeded Earth with the organic compounds that made life possible. OSIRIS-REx — the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer — is a robotic mission that will map this asteroid and then collect a sample that it will send home to Earth.OSIRIS-REx launched last year, but because Bennu's orbit is tilted six degrees in comparison to Earth's, the spacecraft needs a boost before it can get to the asteroid. Earth's game-day assist on Sept. 22nd will position it to reach Bennu's path in 2018. One of the best ways to change the trajectory of a spacecraft (without carrying extra fuel) is by using the gravity of a planet or large moon to catapult it, and that’s exactly how our home planet will help OSIRIS-REx match the asteroid's path and speed. Join NASA scientists on Friday, Sept. 22, from 6:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EST – just hours before Earth slingshots OSIRIS-REx toward asteroid Bennu – to find out why this maneuver is critical to the mission’s success, and how OSIRIS-REx could uncover the materials and processes that enabled life on Earth.When it arrives at Bennu next year, OSIRIS-REx will map the asteroid, study its orbit and collect samples that will be sent to Earth in 2023. There are more than half a million known asteroids in our solar system, but Bennu is an ideal candidate for closer study because of its size, composition and proximity to Earth. Bennu is an artifact of the ancient solar system, a silent witness to the titanic events in our solar system’s 4.6 billion-year history.****To book a window contact: Michelle Handleman/ michelle.z.handleman@nasa.gov / 301-286-0918.****HD Satellite Digital Coordinates: HD Satellite Coordinates for SES2-K21/AB: SES 2, Ku-band Xp 21, Channel AB | 87.0 ° W Longitude | DL 12111.0 MHz | Horizontal Polarity | QPSK/DVB-S | FEC 3/4 | SR 13.235 Mbps | DR 18.2954 MHz | HD 720p | Format MPEG2 | Chroma Level 4:2:0 | Audio EmbeddedSuggested Questions:1.What is OSIRIS-REx and where is it going? 2.Earth's gravity will slingshot OSIRIS-REx to the asteroid. How does that work? 3.Asteroids are time capsules from the beginning of our solar system. What’s so exciting about this particular asteroid?4.What's it going to look like when NASA high-fives an asteroid to collect a sample?5.Where can we learn more?Extra Questions for Longer Interviews:1.How do you determine when and where to get the sample from Bennu?2.What kind of science do we hope to gain from studying Bennu, especially with samples here on Earth?3.What will OSIRIS-REx do that's never been done before? 4.What will scientists do with the asteroid sample once it gets to Earth?5.How have previous missions helped NASA perfect the art of the gravity assist?6.Bennu is just one of hundreds of thousands of asteroids out there. How can studying asteroids keep us safe?Live Shot Details:Location: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Greenbelt, MarylandScientists:Dr. Jim Garvin / NASA Goddard Chief Scientist Dr. Christina Richey / OSIRIS-REx Deputy Program ScientistDr. Michelle Thaller/ NASA Scientist For More InformationSee [nasa.gov/osirisrex](nasa.gov/osirisrex) Related pages

When OSIRIS-REx flies by Earth on September 22, 2017, it will use our planet's gravity as a slingshot to catch asteroid Bennu. Complete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Music provided by Killer Tracks:"Origin" by Axel Tenner, Michael Schluecker, and Raphael Schalz OSIRIS-REx Earth gravity assist, Earth flyby. OSIRIS-REx Earth gravity assist, slew maneuver. OSIRIS-REx Earth gravity assist, instrument testing. OSIRIS-REx Earth gravity assist, after the flyby. OSIRIS-REx is NASA's mission to explore near-earth asteroid Bennu, collect a sample, and return it to Earth. To get to Bennu, however, OSIRIS-REx must first leave the plane of Earth's orbit and match the orbital tilt of its target. On September 22, 2017, OSIRIS-REx will approach Earth and fly over its southern hemisphere, passing within 11,000 miles of Antarctica. This gravitational slingshot will bend its trajectory by six degrees, sending the spacecraft on a path to intercept Bennu. Shortly after the flyby, OSIRIS-REx will look back at Earth and take images and spectra, ensuring that its instruments are ready for arrival at Bennu in 2018.Read more about the Earth gravity assist, or visit the NASA and University of Arizona mission websites. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages

OSIRIS-REx outbound orbit to asteroid Bennu, including an Earth-gravity assist approximately one year after launch. The gravity assist will adjust the spacecraft’s orbit, putting it in the same inclination as the orbit of Bennu. OSIRIS-REx performs an Earth Gravity Assist to enter Bennu's orbit plane. OSIRIS-REx outbound orbit to asteroid Bennu, with a top-down view of the Earth-gravity assist. OSIRIS-REx will approach Bennu in 2018. Upon arrival, the spacecraft will execute a series of maneuvers to study the asteroid. In this orientation, Bennu's North Pole points down. OSIRIS-REx will approach Bennu in 2018. Upon arrival, the spacecraft will execute a series of maneuvers to study the asteroid. In this orientation, Bennu's North Pole points up. OSIRIS-REx 'Baseball Diamond' scans OSIRIS-REx 'Baseball Diamond' scans with station labels fading over time OSIRIS-REx Equatorial Stations OSIRIS-REx Equatorial Stations with sun vector OSIRIS-REx transitions from Equatorial Stations to Orbital B OSIRIS-REx Orbit B precession over a two-month period. While in orbit around Bennu, OSIRIS-REx will study and map the asteroid's entire surface. OSIRIS-REx scans the surface of Bennu. Video available in both 30fps and 60fps formats. OSIRIS-REx scans one of several potential sample locations. OSIRIS-REx will perform a series of reconnaissance passes close to the asteroid. This visualization depicts a 225 meter pass. OSIRIS-REx will perform a series of reconnaissance passes close to the asteroid. This visualization depicts a 525 meter pass. OSIRIS-REx Checkpoint TAG rehearsal OSIRIS-REx Matchpoint TAG rehearsal After studying the asteroid for more than a year, OSIRIS-REx will briefly ‘tag’ the surface to collect a small sample, which it will return to Earth in 2023. OSIRIS-REx returns to Earth with its precious sample of asteroid Bennu. After releasing the sample return capsule, the spacecraft will go into orbit around the Sun. 8:3 aspect ratio version of outbound orbit 8:3 aspect ratio version of OSIRIS-REx arriving at Bennu 8:3 aspect ratio version of return orbit The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer spacecraft will travel to a near-Earth asteroid, called Bennu (formerly 1999 RQ36), and bring at least a 2.1-ounce sample back to Earth for study. The mission will help scientists investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.OSIRIS-REx launched on Sept. 8, 2016, at 7:05 p.m. EDT. As planned, the spacecraft will reach its target asteroid in 2018 and return a sample to Earth in 2023. These animations depict the journey of OSIRIS-REx to Bennu and back, including the complex maneuvers that the spacecraft will perform in the asteroid's low-gravity environment. The animations are presented in chronological order. For More InformationSee [http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex](http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages

OSIRIS-REx's launch and Deployment movie. The animations for this video are listed below. Launch from Kennedy Space Center. Launch from Kennedy Space Center. Launch from Kennedy Space Center. Breaching through the clouds. Solid rocket booster separation. Main engine cutoff. Launch vehicle before Stage 1 separation. Main engine seperation Centaur engine ignites Fairing seperate from the Centaur OSIRIS-REx seperates from the Centaur. Solar panels deploy. OSIRIS-REx departs Earth. OSIRIS-REx begins its journey to near-Earth asteroid Bennu from Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. In addition to the launch vehicle's liquid-fueled main engine, its 411 configuration includes a strap-on solid rocket booster and a Centaur upper stage. When the launch window opens on the evening of September 8, 2016, the Atlas V will lift OSIRIS-REx above the Florida coastline and propel it eastward over the night side of Earth. Fifty-nine minutes later, OSIRIS-REx will separate from the Centaur upper stage, point its solar arrays at the rising sun, and embark on its nearly two-year cruise to Bennu. Related pages

OSIRIS-REx approaches Bennu TAG Arm Deploy TAG Arm Deploy Reverse OSIRIS-REx desending to Bennu OSIRIS-REx approach continued TAGSAM getting closer OSIRIS-REx almost there Contact OSIRIS-REx Pulls away TAG Maneuver Interior Cutaway OSIRIS-REx backs away from Bennu Sample Verification OCAMS SamCam Sample Verification OCAMS Sam Cam 2 Sample Mass Measurement Sample Stowage Sequence Sample Stowage Sequence Closeup OSIRIS-REx Stows the TAG Arm Returning to Earth After nine months in orbit around asteroid Bennu, OSIRIS-REx will begin the process of maneuvering closer to the surface in preparation of the sample collection event. Once the sample site has been selected, OSIRIS-REx will break from its polar orbit to practice three flyovers of the site at increasing proximities, eventually matching Bennu's speed and rotation. The narrow-angle PolyCam will image the sample site at sub-centimeter resolution during these close passes.When OSIRIS-REx is ready, it will slowly descend to Bennu's surface at a few centimeters per second. Its outstretched arm will touch down and blow high-pressure nitrogen gas into Bennu's soil. This will force loose dust, dirt, and rocks upward into the TAGSAM head, trapping the material inside. OSIRIS-REx will then weigh and stow the captured sample for return to Earth in 2023. Related pages

Edited movie of mapping animations OSIRIS-REx arrival at Bennu. Bennu reveal. Detailed survey of Bennu. OSIRIS-REx mapping Bennu. OSIRIS-REx flying over Bennu OSIRIS-REx mapping Bennu OSIRIS-REx will spend over a year orbiting and mapping asteroid Bennu in preparation of the mission's main science goal – collecting a sample of Bennu for return to Earth in 2023. Related pages

OSIRIS-REx returns to Earth with its sample of asteroid Bennu. After releasing the sample return capsule on September 24, 2023, the spacecraft will go into orbit around the Sun.Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. SRC arrives back at Earth SRC seperates from OSIRIS-REx SRC heading towards Earth SRC ReEntry Heading towards landing site Parachute deploys SRC desending Touchdown Transport Sample Open Capsule On September 24, 2023, OSIRIS-REx will return its sample of asteroid Bennu to Earth. The sample return capsule will detach from the spacecraft, perform an entry, descent and landing sequence, and touch down at the UTTR facility in Utah. The Bennu samples will be taken to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for curation, and will be studied by scientists around the world for decades to come. Related pages