OSIRIS-REx Mission Design: Narrated Feature
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- Visualizations by:
- Walt Feimer
- View full credits
The OSIRIS-REx mission design includes complex trajectories, polar orbits, and reconnaissance flyovers that will allow the spacecraft to thoroughly explore asteroid Bennu.
Music provided by Killer Tracks: Electric Cosmos, Inducing Waves, Newfound Lands, Crystal Sound Bath, Imperatum
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
Complete transcript available.
OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program. Its goal is to explore near-Earth asteroid Bennu, a remnant from the dawn of the solar system, and to return a sample of Bennu to Earth. OSIRIS-REx launched on September 8, 2016, and arrived at asteroid Bennu on December 3, 2018. The spacecraft is spending more than a year surveying and mapping Bennu before collecting a sample, ensuring that it can safely descend to the asteroid’s surface and retrieve a sample of high science value.
This video illustrates the OSIRIS-REx mission design in detail, through artist concept animations, data visualizations, launch footage, and imagery from the spacecraft itself. Each phase of the mission is depicted, from launch through sample return, providing an in-depth look at this journey to Bennu and back.
For More Information
See NASA.gov
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Animators
- Walt Feimer (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) [Lead]
- Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
- Bailee DesRocher (USRA)
- Josh Masters (Freelance)
- Lisa Poje (USRA)
- Michael Lentz (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Data visualizer
- Kel Elkins (USRA)
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Scientists
- Dante Lauretta (The University of Arizona)
- Jason Dworkin (NASA/GSFC)
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Producer
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Related pages
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ID: 14406 Produced Video
![Ride along with OSIRIS-REx during the thrilling finale of its journey to Bennu and back.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “A Sense of Urgency” and “Rise to the Challenge” by Daniel Marantz and Michael James Burns, Raydia Music library [PRS]; “Fragments of Time” by Timothy Robert Shortell, Scores of Hypersonic Music [BMI]Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.](/vis/a010000/a014400/a014406/OSIRIS-REx_Journeys_End_Preview_V3_print.jpg)
To Bennu and Back: Journey’s End
Read moreRide along with OSIRIS-REx during the thrilling finale of its journey to Bennu and back.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “A Sense of Urgency” and “Rise to the Challenge” by Daniel Marantz and Michael James Burns, Raydia Music library [PRS]; “Fragments of Time” by Timothy Robert Shortell, Scores of Hypersonic Music [BMI]Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. ||
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ID: 20381 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Sample Return: Animations
Read moreRide along with OSIRIS-REx on the thrilling finale of its journey to Bennu and back.Universal Production Music: “Rise to the Challenge” by Daniel Marantz and Michael James Burns, Raydia Music library [PRS]; “Fragments of Time” by Timothy Robert Shortell, Scores of Hypersonic Music [BMI]Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. ||
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ID: 14384 B-Roll
OSIRIS-REx Sample Recovery: Field Rehearsal Two
Read moreHELICOPTER OPERATIONS REHEARSAL – Wednesday, July 1900:00 – Recovery Helicopter One touches down at staged landing area.00:25 – Helicopter safety briefing with pilot and sample recovery team members.01:43 – Helicopter One begins practice sorties with groups of team members.03:30 – Practice towing the SRC on a line and returning it to the ground.05:32 – Team members practice walking in wet and muddy conditions. ||
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ID: 14382 B-Roll
OSIRIS-REx Sample Recovery: Field Rehearsal One
Read moreRecovery team members rehearse bagging and moving OSIRIS-REx’s sample return capsule at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, ahead of the sample’s return to Earth Sept. 24.Credit: Lockheed Martin Space ||
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ID: 13731 Produced Video
OSIRIS-REx Live Shots: NASA Will Make U.S. History Next Week Snagging Samples From An Asteroid For Return To Earth
Read moreQuick 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 || 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. ||
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ID: 13729 Produced Video
Tour of Asteroid Bennu
Read moreTake a narrated tour of asteroid Bennu’s remarkable terrain. Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Timelapse Clouds” by Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra; “The Wilderness” by Benjamin James Parsons; “Maps of Deception” by Idriss-El-Mehdi Bennani, Olivier Louis Perrot, and Philippe Andre VandenhendeWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. ||
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ID: 13123 Produced Video
Bennu Orbit Insertion
Read moreOn December 31, 2018, OSIRIS-REx completed its Preliminary Survey of asteroid Bennu and entered into orbit. Complete transcript available.Music provided by Killer Tracks: Pose dans la tess (instrumental), Ties that BindWatch this video on the OSIRIS-REx mission YouTube channel. || On December 31, 2018, OSIRIS-REx completed its Preliminary Survey of asteroid Bennu and entered into orbit. Bennu measures only half a kilometer in diameter, making it the smallest world ever to be orbited by a spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx will spend the Orbital A phase learning to navigate in Bennu’s low gravity, which must be balanced against other small forces acting on the spacecraft (like solar radiation pressure), and it will transition from stellar navigation to landmark-based navigation. When OSIRIS-REx completes the Orbital A phase in March 2019, it will begin its Detailed Survey of Bennu. Learn more about Bennu orbit insertion. ||
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ID: 12658 Produced Video
OSIRIS-REx Arrives at Bennu -- 2018 AGU Press Conference
Read moreNASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission presented the science results gained during the spacecraft’s approach toward the asteroid Bennu at a press conference hosted during AGU’s Fall Meeting at 2 p.m. ET, Monday, Dec. 10.The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft, which launched on Sept. 8, 2016, started asteroid science operations on Aug. 17, 2018, while still 1.4 million miles from the asteroid Bennu. Between that time and the spacecraft’s arrival at Bennu on Dec. 3, the mission made a number of discoveries about the asteroid. 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:Jeffrey Grossman, OSIRIS-REx program scientist at NASA HeadquartersDante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, TucsonAmy Simon, OVIRS deputy instrument scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Michael Nolan, OSIRIS-REx science team chief at the University of Arizona, TucsonFor more information, go to nasa.gov/osiris-rex or asteroidmission.org. ||
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ID: 12318 Produced Video
Bennu Arrival
Read moreAfter traveling through space for more than 2 years and over 2 billion kilometers, NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft arrived at its destination, asteroid Bennu, on Monday, Dec. 3, 2018. The spacecraft will spend almost a year surveying the asteroid with five scientific instruments with the goal of selecting a location that is safe and scientifically interesting to collect the sample. OSIRIS-REx will return the sample to Earth in September 2023. ||
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ID: 12166 Produced Video
OSIRIS-REx Mission Arrives at Asteroid Bennu
Read moreOSIRIS-REx mission team members capture the excitement of arriving at asteroid Bennu. Music provided by Killer Tracks: Distant Echoes, Game Show Sphere 9Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Asteroids are the leftover building blocks of the solar system. These remnants from the dawn of planet formation may have delivered organics and water to early Earth, and could even hold clues to the origins of life. Now, a NASA mission called OSIRIS-REx has arrived at near-Earth asteroid Bennu. It will map and study the small body in great detail, and return a piece of Bennu to Earth in 2023. The discoveries of OSIRIS-REx will shed light on our solar system’s ancient history, and help pave the way for future exploration of other small bodies. ||
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ID: 11092 Produced Video
Name That Asteroid!
Read moreThe OSIRIS-REx mission is going to an asteroid to collect and return a sample to Earth. OSIRIS-REx will launch in 2016, visit the asteroid from 2018 to 2021, and return a sample to Earth in 2023. Scientists will study the asteroid’s orbit, composition, and characteristics to answer questions about the early solar system, the building blocks of life, and potential impact hazards. Instead of traveling to (101955) 1999 RQ36, the asteroid’s provisional designation, we’re asking for help to find a new name. The Planetary Society, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, and the discovers at MIT’s Lincoln Lab will recommend selected names to the International Astronomical Union for selection.Contestants must choose a name, explain their choice, and submit the application on the Planetary Society website.The contest starts Tuesday, September 4, 2012. The deadline is Sunday, December 2, 2012.For contest rules, guidelines, and application visit: www.planetary.org/name ||
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ID: 4905 Animation
A Web Around Asteroid Bennu – Visualizations
Read moreThis visualization depicts the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s trajectory around the asteroid Bennu from the initial arrival in Dec 2018 through the final departure in April 2021. The trajectory is presented in a Sun Bennu North reference frame. Several mission segments are highlighted in white, leading up to the TAG sample collection maneuver on Oct 20, 2020. || 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 spacecraft will remain in asteroid Bennu’s vicinity until May 10, when the mission will enter its Return Cruise phase and begin its two-year journey back to Earth. This data visualization presents the mission’s complete trajectory during its time at Bennu. ||
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ID: 20286 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Mission Design: Cruise and Arrival Animations
Read moreAfter launching from Earth on September 8, 2016, OSIRIS-REx spent over two years on its outbound cruise to asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft approached the asteroid in August 2018 and captured its first images of Bennu using its long-range camera, PolyCam. OSIRIS-REx officially arrived at Bennu on December 3, 2018, and began studying the asteroid in preparation for sample collection in 2020. || OSIRIS-REx Cruise to Bennu || Stellar Navigation || Bennu Arrival Extended version || Bennu Arrival ||
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ID: 20287 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Mission Design: Site Selection Campaign
Read moreBaseball Diamond Left || Once OSIRIS-REx has completed its Preliminary Survey of Bennu and entered orbit, it will be ready to study the asteroid in greater detail. Its observations will help mission planners to identify candidate sample sites on Bennu – areas where it is safe to collect a sample, and which are of interest to scientists. During this phase, OSIRIS-REx will: scan Bennu from pole-to-pole, globally map its surface, take high-resolution images, and study its spectra to determine the asteroid’s mineral composition. ||
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ID: 20251 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Earth Gravity Assist
Read moreWhen 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 ||
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ID: 4482 Animation
OSIRIS-REx orbits, maneuvers, and mapping
Read moreThe Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer spacecraft will travel to a near-Earth asteroid, called Bennu (formerly 1999 RQ36), and bring at least a 2.1-ounce sample back to Earth for study. The mission will help scientists investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.OSIRIS-REx launched on Sept. 8, 2016, at 7:05 p.m. EDT. As planned, the spacecraft will reach its target asteroid in 2018 and return a sample to Earth in 2023. These animations depict the journey of OSIRIS-REx to Bennu and back, including the complex maneuvers that the spacecraft will perform in the asteroid's low-gravity environment. The animations are presented in chronological order. ||
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ID: 12716 B-Roll
OSIRIS-REx Launch Footage
Read moreOn September 8, 2016, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft began its journey to near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Just as the sun began to set over Cape Canaveral, OSIRIS-REx made a picture-perfect liftoff at 7:05 pm EDT. It departed Space Launch Complex 41 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 rocket, cheered on by crowds of mission personnel and space enthusiasts. The launch sent OSIRIS-REx on a seven-year journey to asteroid Bennu and back.An excerpt of the launch broadcast appears at the top of this page. Raw camera feeds from Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center appear below. These clips are intended as a video editor's resource, and are available for download in their original DVCPRO HD format. Launch commentary is provided by KSC host Mike Curie.Learn more about OSIRIS-REx from NASA and the University of Arizona. ||
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ID: 20253 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Launch and Deployment Animations
Read moreOSIRIS-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. ||
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ID: 20254 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Resource Page
Read moreThis page contains graphics and animation resources related to near-Earth asteroid Bennu, the target of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. || Large format image of OSIRIS-REx before sampling Bennu. || Bennu title sequence || Bennu size comparision. ||
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ID: 20255 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Mission Design: Sample Acquisition Campaign
Read moreAfter 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. ||
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ID: 20256 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Bennu Mapping Animations
Read moreOSIRIS-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. || 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 ||
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ID: 20257 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Mission Design: Earth Return Animations
Read moreOn 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. ||
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ID: 20259 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Cruise Animation
Read moreAfter leaving Earth in September 2016, OSIRIS-REx spent two years traveling to asteroid Bennu. In September 2017 it flew by Earth for a gravity assist, putting the spacecraft in the right orbital inclination to rendezvous with Bennu in December 2018. || OSIRIS-REx makes its outbound cruise to asteroid Bennu. ||
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ID: 13125 Produced Video
Arrival at Bennu
Read moreOSIRIS-REx arrived at Bennu for a close encounter of the asteroid kind. || The asteroid Bennu is one of 780,000 asteroids in our solar system. Out of all those, it was chosen as the destination for NASA's Origins, Spectra Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft on a mission to understand our early solar system and return a sample from the asteroid's surface to Earth. After a two-year journey, OSIRIS-REx arrived at Bennu in December 2018 to begin its science mission. But what made Bennu a good source for answers? First, Bennu’s proximity to Earth meant a quicker and easier flight for OSIRIS-REx. The spacecraft used Earth’s gravity to boost itself toward the asteroid. Bennu’s size is another bonus: it allows Bennu to spin on its axis at a rate that makes it easily approachable by a spacecraft, and rich in soil that would’ve flung off of smaller, fast-spinning asteroids. Its ancient age and the fact that it is well-preserved in the vacuum of space means it contains dust from the formation of our solar system. Bennu also is rich in carbon, which could offer clues to the possible role asteroids played in life on Earth. Plus, scientists have studied Bennu from Earth, and now will see whether their predictions about it were right. This will help us understand other asteroids, particularly their trajectory, and help us deflect ones that come too close. Watch the videos to learn more. ||
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