OSIRIS-REx touches asteroid Bennu
Oct 21, 2020
NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft unfurled its robotic arm Oct. 20, 2020, and in a first for the agency, briefly touched an asteroid to collect dust and pebbles from the surface for delivery to Earth in 2023.
This well-preserved, ancient asteroid, known as Bennu, is currently more than 200 million miles (321 million kilometers) from Earth. Bennu offers scientists a window into the early solar system as it was first taking shape billions of years ago and flinging ingredients that could have helped seed life on Earth.
OSIRIS-REx’s “Touch-And-Go” on Asteroid Bennu
Oct 21, 2020
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission collected a sample from Asteroid Bennu on 20 October 2020,using a “Touch-And-Go,” or TAG, maneuver. Site Nightingale is located in Bennu’s northern hemisphere, in a crater 460 feet (140 meters) wide. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-Rex) is NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission.
Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona
NASA Science Live: Our first attempt to sample asteroid Bennu
October 22, 2020
NASA has touched the surface of asteroid Bennu to collect the agency’s first ever asteroid sample, which will one day shed new insights on the history of our solar system… so what’s next? Join NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission experts and ask them your questions! Submit them using #ToBennuAndBack and tune in today at 6:15 p.m. ET as they walk you through new images and videos captured by the spacecraft as it descended down to the asteroid's surface.
How far did OSIRIS-REx plunge into asteroid Bennu?
Jul 7, 2022
On October 20, 2020, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample of near-Earth asteroid Bennu. This “TAG event” revealed surprising details about Bennu’s loosely-packed surface. The spacecraft’s arm sank almost half a meter into the asteroid, far deeper than expected, confirming that Bennu’s surface is incredibly weak. During the event, OSIRIS-REx collected a handful of material and kicked up roughly six tons of loose rock. It will return its sample of Bennu to Earth in September 2023.
Asteroid Bennu’s surprising surface revealed by NASA spacecraft
Jul 7, 2022
Near-Earth asteroid Bennu is a rubble pile of rocks and boulders left over from the formation of the solar system. On October 20, 2020, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touched down on Bennu and collected a sample for return to Earth. During this “TAG event,” the spacecraft’s arm sank far deeper into the asteroid than expected, confirming that Bennu’s surface is incredibly weak. Now, scientists have used data from OSIRIS-REx to revisit the TAG event and better understand how Bennu’s loose upper layers are held together.
'Surprise – Again! Asteroid Bennu Reveals its Surface is Like a Plastic Ball Pit"
July 7, 2022
Last edited by Airicist2; 13th July 2022 at 22:40.
"OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Departs for New Mission"
September 24, 2023
OSIRIS-REx capsule landing
Sep 24, 2023
The capsule containing asteroid Bennu samples, collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, has successfully landed at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range, on 24 September 2023, at 14:52 UTC (local time 08:52 MDT, 10:52 EDT).
Credit: Gianluca Masi/The Virtual Telescope Project/NASA/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Социальные закладки