NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Begins Its Countdown to TAG Asteroid Bennu’s Boulder-Strewn Surface
A historic moment is on the horizon for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. In just a few weeks, the robotic OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will descend to asteroid Bennu’s…
Bennu
Vesta Meteorites Discovered on Asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft
In an interplanetary faux pas, it appears some pieces of asteroid Vesta ended up on asteroid Bennu, according to observations from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. The…
Strange Activity on Asteroid Bennu Had NASA Baffled – “Definitely Surprised Us”
The asteroid, which is being studied by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, shows some surprising activity on its surface, and scientists are beginning to understand what might be…
Particles As Big as Softballs Ejected From Asteroid Bennu Seem to Do the Impossible – Now Astrophysicists Know Why
In January 2019, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was orbiting the asteroid Bennu when the spacecraft’s cameras caught something unexpected: Thousands of tiny bits of material, some just…
Stunning Video of “Matchpoint” Rehearsal Shows NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Skimming Asteroid Surface
Yesterday, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft performed its final practice run of the sampling sequence, reaching an approximate altitude of 131 feet (40 meters) over sample site…
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Produces Detailed Mosaic of Nightingale Landing Site on Asteroid Bennu
This view of sample site Nightingale on asteroid Bennu is a mosaic of images collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on March 3, 2020. A total…
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Discovers Sunlight Cracking Rocks on Asteroid Bennu
Asteroids don’t just sit there doing nothing as they orbit the Sun. They get bombarded by meteoroids, blasted by space radiation, and now, for the…
OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Swoops Over Asteroid Sample Site Osprey
This view of sample site Osprey on asteroid Bennu is a mosaic of images collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on May 26. A total of…
Brian May (Lead Guitarist of Rock Band Queen) Works to Probe Origin of Asteroids
Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May has teamed up with asteroid researchers to investigate striking similarities and a puzzling difference between separate bodies explored by…
NASA One Step Closer to Touching Asteroid Bennu and Collecting a Sample to Return to Earth
After the successful completion of its “Checkpoint” rehearsal, NASA’s first asteroid-sampling spacecraft is one step closer to touching down on asteroid Bennu. On April 14,…
Global Map of Asteroid Bennu in Unprecedented Detail – Collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft
This global map of asteroid Bennu’s surface is a mosaic of images collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft between March 7 and April 19, 2019. A…
Features on Asteroid Bennu Now Have Official Names – Based on Mythological Creatures
Asteroid Bennu’s most prominent boulder, a rock chunk jutting out 71 ft (21.7 m) from the asteroid’s southern hemisphere, finally has a name. The boulder…
NASA Selects Nightingale Crater on Bennu for Asteroid Sample Collection
After a year scoping out asteroid Bennu’s boulder-scattered surface, the team leading NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission has officially selected a sample collection site….
Daring Rescue of Monumental Asteroid Mission – Here’s How Engineers Pulled It Off
On Friday, October 11, 2019, the OSIRIS-REx team should have been preparing to point their spacecraft cameras precisely over the asteroid Bennu to capture high-resolution…
OSIRIS-REx Gets Close Up View of Bennu’s Northern Hemisphere
This trio of images acquired by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft shows a wide shot and two close-ups of a region in asteroid Bennu’s northern hemisphere. The…
OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Enters Close Orbit Around Bennu
At 2:43 p.m. EST on December 31, while many on Earth prepared to welcome the New Year, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, 70 million miles (110 million…