A Web Around Asteroid Bennu – Visualizations

This visualization begins with a top-down view of a high resolution digital terrain model (DTM) of the Nightingale TAG sample site on Bennu. As the camera moves closer, data representing the surface height change pre-post TAG fades on. The surface height change as a result of the TAG event is represented by both a color map and by offsetting the original DTM to reveal the TAG crater. The DTM offset is applied to the surface region within ~7.5 meters of impact, which is highlighted for emphasis. With this color bar, yellows, greens, and blues represent a decrease in elevation, light red represents no change in elevation, and dark red represents an increase in elevation. Thruster marks and a region of ejected surface material are labeled. The camera does a 360 degree spin around the sample site before returning to a top-down view of the color-mapped data. Same visualization as above, but without “Point of Impact,” "Ejected Material," and “Thruster Mark” labels Still image - Top-down view of a high resolution digital terrain model (DTM) of the Nightingale TAG sample site on Bennu. Still image - Oblique view of the Nightingale TAG sample site with the TAG impact location labeled. Still image - Oblique view of the TAG sample site with pre-post surface height change data represented by both a color map and by offsetting the original DTM to reveal the TAG crater. The DTM offset is only applied to the surface region within ~7.5 meters of impact, which is highlighted for emphasis. Still image - Oblique view of the TAG sample site with pre-post surface height change data represented by both a color map and by offsetting the original DTM to reveal the TAG crater. The DTM offset is only applied to the surface region within ~7.5 meters of impact, which is highlighted for emphasis. Additional surface features resulting from TAG are labeled. Still image - Top-down view of a high resolution digital terrain model (DTM) of the Nightingale TAG sample site on Bennu with pre-post surface height change data. 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 change in surface topography as a result of the sample collection maneuver is observed by comparing pre-TAG and post-TAG digital terrain models (DTM), revealing the newly-formed TAG crater. OSIRIS-REx will return its sample of Bennu to Earth in September 2023. Related pages

3d model of asteroid Bennu with three data layers. Left to right - Albedo map with global image mosaic, carbon data, and false-color imagery. 3d model of asteroid Bennu with albedo map and global image mosaic 3d model of asteroid Bennu with carbon data 3d model of asteroid Bennu with false-color imagery This visualization of Bennu was selected for the cover of the November 6th special issue of Science. The image was created using high-resolution imagery and laser altimetry data from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Multiple data layers were wrapped to a detailed 3D model of the asteroid, representing just a few of the recent science results from the mission. More information about this issue of Science (as well as the final cover image) can be found here: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6517 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

Quick link to the OSIRIS-REx team cheering after a successful TAG maneuver on Tuesday, Oct 20Quick link to B-ROLL for the live shotsClick here for OSIRIS-REx PRESS KITClick here for Latest releaseLatest release in Spanish.OSIRIS-REx poster COLLECTABLESWhy Bennu? 10 Reasons***NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is going Asteroid Hunting. Listen now to NASA's "Curious Universe" podcast that takes you inside the daring mission B-roll graphics NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is going Asteroid Hunting. Listen now to NASA's "Curious Universe" podcast that takes you inside the daring mission: to briefly reach out its mechanical arm and grab a sample from an asteroid’s surface. Dante Lauretta, Heather Enos, and Ron Mink introduce you to NASA’s asteroid hunter and what this sample return mission means for us here on Earth. The OSIRIS-REx team celebrates after a sucessful TAG maneuver on Tuesday, Oct 20. Location: Littleton, CO NASA’s First Asteroid Sample Return Mission Is Ready For TouchdownNext Week NASA Will Snag A Sample From An Ancient Relic Of Our Solar SystemNASA’s OSIRIS-REx Will Help Unlock The Secrets Of Our Solar System NASA’s first-ever sample return mission to an asteroid is about to make history. Next week, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will attempt to retrieve a sample from an asteroid named Bennu. Asteroids are remnants of the building blocks that formed the planets in our solar system, and perhaps enabled life on Earth. They contain natural resources such as water, organics and metals. Could carbon-rich asteroids have seeded our early Earth with the organic chemistry needed for life to develop? And they can be dangerous. Bennu has a 1:2700 chance of impacting Earth in the late 2100s, but this mission will also help us learn more about protecting ourselves if necessary. NASA experts are available virtually for live or taped interviews on October 20th from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT - the morning of this historic maneuver - to tell your viewers how they can watch the event unfold, and what scientists hope to learn from this out-of-this-world sample from a nearby asteroid. ** NASA TV will begin live coverage beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT on October 20th. The “Touch-And-Go,” or TAG, maneuver is scheduled for around 6:12 p.m. EDT. **In 2016, NASA launched OSIRIS-REx on an epic mission to capture a sample of an asteroid and bring it back to Earth. On the evening of October 20th, the spacecraft will descend to the boulder-strewn surface of Bennu to a site called Nightingale, where the spacecraft’s robotic sampling arm will attempt to snag a sample. There are more than 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. The spacecraft is scheduled to depart Bennu in 2021 and it will deliver the collected sample to Earth on Sep. 24, 2023. To Schedule an interview: Please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/uTgSr3r8LQr3nPt2A*Spanish Interviews are available*Interviews will be conducted using video chat programs including Skype in 15-minute slots. For example 600-615 ET, 615-630 EDT, etc. Satellite interviews are not available. Participating Scientists/Engineers:Jim Garvin / NASA Goddard Chief ScientistDanny Glavin / NASA ScientistJason Dworkin / NASA ScientistLucy Lim / NASA ScientistNayi Castro / NASA Engineer*Jose Aponte / NASA Scientist *Geronimo Villanueva / NASA Scientist * Location: Denver, COThomas Zurbuchen / Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, NASA HeadquartersLori Glaze / Director, Planetary Science Mission Directorate, NASA HeadquartersMark Clampin / Director of Sciences and Exploration Directorate, NASA GoddardDante Lauretta / OSIRIS-REx Principal Investigator, University of ArizonaMichelle Thaller / NASA ScientistSuggested Questions: Later today, NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission, OSIRIS-REx, will attempt to collect a sample from an asteroid named Bennu, to bring back to Earth. Tell us what is going to happen today.How tricky is today’s maneuver to collect the sample?What happens if you’re not able to collect a sample today?There are a lot of asteroids in our solar system. Why was Bennu chosen?What can asteroids teach us about the origins of our solar system, and whether life might exist elsewhere?What are you most excited about learning from this mission?How can our viewers watch today’s event unfold, and stay up to date on the mission? Longer interview questions: OSIRIS-REx first launched in 2016 and arrived at Bennu in 2018. Why have scientists waited so long to actually obtain a sample? How is the spacecraft able to keep up with the asteroid?The spot on Bennu where the spacecraft will touch is named Nightingale. What is the reason behind choosing this location?Scientists originally thought Bennu would have a smooth surface, but it’s proven to be a very rocky and treacherous surface. Can you talk about some of the other surprising things you’ve learned about this asteroid?What can asteroids teach us about our place in the universe and whether life might exist in other solar systems?The Apollo astronauts brought back samples of the Moon that we’re still studying today. Can you talk about why sample return missions are so important to scientists and what future missions might explore?What will scientists do once the sample returns to Earth? Suggested Anchor Intro: IT’S GAME DAY FOR NASA.... LATER TODAY, NASA WILL MAKE HISTORY WHEN ITS OSIRIS-REX SPACECRAFT ATTEMPTS TOUCHDOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME TO COLLECT A SAMPLE FROM AN ASTEROID THAT WILL LATER RETURN TO EARTH. TODAY WE HAVE XXXX JOINING US FROM XX, XXX TO TALK ABOUT THIS EXCITING MISSION, HOW WE CAN WATCH THE EVENTS UNFOLD AND WHAT SCIENTISTS ARE HOPING TO LEARN. Related pages

This first shot of the sequence begins with OSIRIS-REx’s arrival at the asteroid Bennu. A low resolution view of the asteroid is presented and thermal inertia data fades in, representing our initial understanding of the asteroid. The asteroid then spins quickly to serve as a transition to the second shot in the sequence. This second shot in the sequence begins with a fast spinning Bennu, matching the end of the first shot in the sequence. As Bennu’s rotation decelerates, a highly detailed view of the asteroid is revealed using 20cm terrain elevation data (OLA) and high resolution imagery (PolyCam). The camera then zooms in and flys over several locations - Simurgh, Roc, Gargoyle, and Ocypete. Each of these locations are presented using 5cm terrain elevation tiles. The third shot of the sequence begins with a dramatic reveal of BenBen, the tallest boulder on Bennu. The shot begins in darkness and sunlight sweeps across the surface of the asteroid. The camera rotates down to the horizon to show the height of the boulder before zooming over to a view of two boulders found to contain pyroxene. The camera then zooms back out to a global view and we see OSIRIS-REx in orbit around the asteroid. 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.This video explores several interesting features of Bennu. The surface features are presented in vivid detail thanks to detailed terrain data from the OLA instrument and high resolution imagery from the PolyCam instrument. Related pages

The visualization begins with a rotating 3D model representation of the asteroid Bennu, created using data from the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) instrument. Four candidate sample sites (with labels) are highlighted with PolyCam images.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. An animated GIF of the asteroid Bennu with labels of the four candidate sites. UNLABELED VERSIONThe visualization begins with a rotating 3D model representation of the asteroid Bennu, created using data from the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) instrument. Four candidate sample sites are highlighted with PolyCam images. Print resolution (16k) still image of the candidate sample sites with labels. Print resolution (16k) still image of the candidate sample sites without labels. Pictured are the four candidate sample collection sites on asteroid Bennu selected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. Site Nightingale (top left) is located in Bennu’s northern hemisphere. Sites Kingfisher (top right) and Osprey (bottom left) are located in Bennu’s equatorial region. Site Sandpiper (bottom right) is located in Bennu’s southern hemisphere. In December 2019, one of these sites will be chosen for the mission’s touchdown event.Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona Candidate Bennu sample site - OspreyInstrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam) Candidate Bennu sample site - KingfisherInstrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam) Candidate Bennu sample site - NightingaleInstrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam) Candidate Bennu sample site - SandpiperInstrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam) Visualization of a rotating 3D model representation of the asteroid Bennu, created using data from the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) instrument. Global map of asteroid Bennu, showing the locations of the final four candidate sample sites.Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona Candidate Sample Site Labels OSIRIS-REx is a mission to study and map near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Its primary science objective is to collect a sample of Bennu in mid 2020 and return it to Earth in late 2023. In preparation, mission planners have identified four candidate sample sites on Bennu's rocky surface where OSIRIS-REx could briefly touch down to collect its sample. The mission will down-select to the final two sites – a primary and a backup – in December 2019. Like the mythological Bennu bird for which the asteroid is named, all of the candidate sample sites refer to birds that can be found in Egypt.Learn more about the candidate sample sites on Bennu. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-mission-selects-final-four-site-candidates-for-asteroid-sample-return) 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'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