Planets and Moons ID: 20251

OSIRIS-REx Earth Gravity Assist

Animations by Michael Lentz Released on September 22, 2017

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.

Used Elsewhere In

For More Information

NASA.gov

University of Arizona

Animation Credits

Michael Lentz (USRA): Lead Animator
Krystofer Kim (USRA): Animator
Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (USRA): Animator
Dan Gallagher (USRA): Producer
Dante Lauretta (The University of Arizona): Principal Investigator
Jason Dworkin (NASA/GSFC): Project Scientist
Michael Moreau (NASA/GSFC): Flight Dynamics System Lead
Dolan Highsmith (Aerospace Corp): Aerospace Engineer

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab