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[music throughout] Over 200 million miles away from Earth, 

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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft 

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is preparing for an ambitious sample collection attempt at asteroid Bennu.

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Before it makes its approach to the rocky surface,  

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let’s take a look back at some of the incredible firsts for this mission, 

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which almost seem like something out of a Hollywood movie…

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This is the first asteroid sample return mission for NASA, 

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and it could be the largest sample returned from space 

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since the Apollo astronauts brought Moon samples back to Earth.

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While getting set to grab a sample, OSIRIS-REx

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has set not one, but two Guinness World Records. 

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Its first for the smallest ever body orbited

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and its second for the closest orbit of a spacecraft. 

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This tight orbit has brought the spacecraft so close to Bennu 

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that OSIRIS-REx’s onboard cameras and laser altimeter

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have been able to image and characterize the asteroid’s surface and shape better than Earth, 

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our own moon,

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or any other celestial body. 

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It has imaged Bennu down to 5 centimeter per pixel resolution, 

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providing us with an unprecedented view into this rocky, and boulder-filled world.

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With 28 on-board thrusters, OSIRIS-REx is one of the most maneuverable spacecrafts. 

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This allows it to carefully and precisely descend to a spot on Bennu 

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that is no larger than a few parking spaces.

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There have certainly been some unexpected twists along the way; 

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however, OSIRIS-REx has capitalized on these moments…

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Right after arriving at the asteroid, OSIRIS-REx imaged 

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rocky ejecta that has been bursting off Bennu. 

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This is the first timewe have been able to observe the entire lifecycle

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of a natural satellite ejecting off an object,

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entering into orbit, and returning back to the surface. 

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Because of Bennu’s extremely rocky surface,

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the team needed to adapt the spacecraft’s navigation method 

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to an optical approach known as Natural Feature Tracking, or NFT. 

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This is the first time this approach has been used in space – 

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and it will allow OSIRIS-REx to steer itself down to collect a sample from Bennu. 

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And now OSIRIS-REx is looking to set another first for NASA 

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successfully collect a sample of an asteroid – and deliver it to Earth by 2023.