OSIRIS-REx: X Marks the Spot - 2019 AGU Press Conference

Trailer for the OSIRIS-REx TAG EventUniversal Production Music: HazardsDuring its descent to site Nightingale, OSIRIS-REx could encounter several hazardous scenarios that would prevent it from collecting a sample of asteroid Bennu on its first attempt, including: Wave-Off, TAG on a boulder, and TAG on rocks.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab || 1. Freund - TAGSAM ExplainedOSIRIS-REx descends to the surface of asteroid Bennu to collect a sample of fine-grained material from site Nightingale using its TAGSAM instrument.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab || 2. Freund - Sample StowFollowing collection, OSIRIS-REx will stow its sample of asteroid Bennu for return to Earth in September 2023.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab || 3. Freund - Sample ReturnWhen OSIRIS-REx returns to Earth, it will release the Sample Return Capsule for touchdown in the Utah desert on September 24, 2023.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab || 5. Lauretta - Sample VerificationFollowing TAG, OSIRIS-REx will use SamCam to visually inspect the TAGSAM head and confirm that it has collected a sample from Bennu.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab || 6. Lauretta - Sample Mass MeasurementAfter imaging the TAGSAM head, OSIRIS-REx will perform a spin maneuver with its TAGSAM arm extended to determine the mass of the collected sample.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab || 7. Lauretta - Sample Return Capsule openingClose up of the OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule opening, and the TAGSAM head becoming translucent to reveal material collected from asteroid Bennu.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab || Slate for T-30 press briefingCredit: NASA/Goddard

Looping animation of asteroid Bennu rotating. This 3D model of Bennu was created using 20cm resolution laser altimetry data and imagery taken by OSIRIS-REx. || When NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018, its close-up images confirmed what mission planners had predicted nearly two decades before: Bennu is made of loose material weakly clumped together by gravity, and shaped like a spinning top. This major validation, however, was accompanied by a major surprise. Scientists had expected Bennu’s surface to consist of fine-grained material like a sandy beach, but instead OSIRIS-REx was greeted by a rugged world littered with boulders – the size of cars, the size of houses, the size of football fields.The 3D animations on this page were created using laser altimetry data and imagery of Bennu taken by OSIRIS-REx.The Bennu albedo map was generated using images acquired by PolyCam during Baseball Diamond Flyby 1. The images were photometrically normalized to represent the innate albedo of Bennu’s surface. Details for the creation of the map can be found in the forthcoming publication “A High-Resolution Normal Albedo Map of Asteroid (101955) Bennu” by Golish et al. Icarus (2020). Polar regions that were not imaged in Flyby 1 are visualized using the Bennu global basemap, created from PolyCam images acquired during Baseball Diamond Flybys 3 and 4. Details for the creation of the basemap can be found in “A high-resolution global Basemap of (101955) Bennu” by Bennett et al. Icarus (2020). || Looping animation of sunlight sweeping across the surface of Bennu. This 3D model of Bennu was created using 20cm resolution laser altimetry data and imagery taken by OSIRIS-REx. || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu. The Nightingale sample site is visible in the northern hemisphere. || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu. The Nightingale sample site is visible in the northern hemisphere. || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu || Print resolution (5760x3240 pixels) still image of Bennu

After a year of studying asteroid Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx mission chose a location called “Nightingale” as the primary sample collection site.Universal Production Music: “Extreme Measures” by John Sands and Marc Ferrari, “Ice Echoes” by Dominik Luke Marsden Johnson, “Look at the Mirror” by Jonathan FigoliWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || OSIRIS-REx is a NASA mission to explore near-Earth asteroid Bennu and return a sample to Earth. Prior to arriving at Bennu, mission planners had expected the asteroid’s surface to consist largely of fine particulate material, similar to gravel. When OSIRIS-REx arrived in December 2018, however, it was greeted by a rocky world covered with boulders.This unexpected ruggedness means that there are few places on Bennu where OSIRIS-REx can safely touch down and collect a sample. After a year of studying the asteroid, the mission announced a primary sample collection site, which they designated “Nightingale,” along with a backup site called “Osprey.” In October 2020, OSIRIS-REx will descend to Bennu and attempt to collect up to four-and-a-half pounds of loose material, for return to Earth in 2023.Learn more about the selection of sample site Nightingale. || Thermal map of asteroid Bennu || In the thermal map above, asteroid Bennu’s surface temperatures dramatically change from the night side to the day side, experiencing swings of 270 degrees Fahrenheit. The time that it takes for an object to heat up or cool down is determined by its thermal inertia a property that can be useful in the remote study of planetary bodies.Fine particulate materials like sand or gravel tend to heat up and cool down quickly (low thermal inertia), while solid objects like rocks and boulders do so more slowly (high thermal inertia). By observing how a distant body like Bennu changes temperature over the course of a day, scientists can usually infer the average size of particles on its surface.Before OSIRIS-REx arrived, scientists had observed that Bennu’s surface heats up and cools down relatively quickly, leading them to predict a mean particle size of about 2-3cm. OSIRIS-REx, however, was greeted by a predominantly rocky asteroid, littered with giant boulders. This discrepancy is one of the major surprises of the OSIRIS-REx mission.

Looping animation of asteroid Bennu rotating. This 3D model of Bennu was created using 20cm resolution laser altimetry data and imagery taken by OSIRIS-REx. || When NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018, its close-up images confirmed what mission planners had predicted nearly two decades before: Bennu is made of loose material weakly clumped together by gravity, and shaped like a spinning top. This major validation, however, was accompanied by a major surprise. Scientists had expected Bennu’s surface to consist of fine-grained material like a sandy beach, but instead OSIRIS-REx was greeted by a rugged world littered with boulders – the size of cars, the size of houses, the size of football fields.The main science goal of OSIRIS-REx is to briefly touch down on Bennu and collect a sample for return to Earth, but the asteroid’s unexpected roughness could pose a hazard to the spacecraft. Areas for safely touching down are fewer and smaller than anticipated, and OSIRIS-REx will have to navigate to them with unprecedented accuracy.The 3D animations on this page were created using laser altimetry data and imagery of Bennu taken by OSIRIS-REx. || Short clip of the northern hemisphere of Bennu. This 3D model of Bennu was created using 20cm resolution laser altimetry data and imagery taken by OSIRIS-REx. || Short clip of the southern hemisphere of Bennu, highlighting a large boulder nicknamed This 3D model of Bennu was created using 20cm resolution laser altimetry data and imagery taken by OSIRIS-REx. || Short clip of the equatorial region of Bennu. This 3D model of Bennu was created using 20cm resolution laser altimetry data and imagery taken by OSIRIS-REx.

NASA Science Live: OSIRIS-REx - X Marks the Spot [Episode 13]Air Date: December, 12, 2019Watch this video on the ScienceAtNASA YouTube channel. || This episode of NASA Science Live is broadcasting live from AGU in San Francisco. We have breaking news on our satellite OSIRIS-REx which is orbiting an asteroid named Bennu - and some of its mineral fragments could be older than the solar system itself. These microscopic grains of dust could be the same ones that spewed from dying stars and eventually came together to make the Sun and its planets nearly 4.6 billion years ago. And today we s surface.

Trailer for the sample site selection announcement for OSIRIS-REx, set to take place on December 12, 2019 at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST at AGU in San Francisco.Music is from Universal Production Music. || On September 8, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, OSIRIS-REx began its journey – the most ambitious sample collection mission since the Apollo Program. After two years, the spacecraft arrived at its destination, asteroid Bennu. As OSIRIS-REx drew near, Bennu grew in detail from a few tiny pixels to a surprisingly rugged world, littered with giant boulders. The spacecraft has used its instrumentation to map the asteroid from all sides. The science team has been analyzing the data to select the best sample site. Now, with just months to go before sample collection, the team has narrowed its target down to four potential sites: Osprey, Kingfisher, Nightingale, and Sandpiper. Tune in to nasa.gov/live on Thursday, December 12 at 1:00 PM EST/10:00 AM PST to see the sample site selection announcement.

Recapping surprises at Bennu and achievements of the OSIRIS-REx mission before the final sample site announcement. Music is from Universal Production Music. || The OSIRIS-REx team has already pushed the boundaries of scientific exploration - going from ground-based radar images from Arecibo in Puerto Rico all the way to orbiting a few hundred meters from asteroid Bennu. The team is mere months away from a sample collection attempt at the asteroid surface. Before this attempt, we take a look back at some of the major achievements, surprises, and challenges of sampling an asteroid with OSIRIS-REx. || Vertical version of the Surprises at Asteroid Bennu video.

The following video presents the press conference that corresponds with the slides that appear below. This event took place live at 2pm EST on December 10, 2018 at the American Geophysical Union conference in Washington DC. Watch this video on YouTube. || NASA’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. || TAGSAM Banner ImageCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona This image shows an artist’s rendering of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collecting a sample of material from Bennu’s surface in 2023. || 1. Grossman – New FrontiersCredit: NASA-HQ || 2. Grossman – Planetary FleetCredit: NASA || 3. Grossman – Planetary Fleet/Small Bodies MissionsCredit: NASA || 4. Grossman – Small Bodies FleetCredit: NASA || 5. Grossman – NASA Small-Body MissionsCredit: NASA/University of Arizona || 1. Lauretta – Twelve-Image PolyCam Mosaic of BennuCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaThis mosaic image of asteroid Bennu is composed of 12 PolyCam images collected on Dec. 2 by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a range of 15 miles (24 km). The image was obtained at a 50° phase angle between the spacecraft, asteroid and the Sun, and in it, Bennu spans approximately 1,500 pixels in the camera’s field of view. || 2. Lauretta – Mission Success CriteriaCredit: University of Arizona || 3. Lauretta - OSIRIS-REx InstrumentsCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona || 1. Simon – OVIRS and OTES OverviewCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Arizona State University || 2. Simon – First OVIRS Spectrum of BennuCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona || 3. Simon – Hydrated Mineral Feature on Bennu Near 2.7 MicronsCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/NASA Johnson Space Center/K.H. Joy || 4. Simon – OTES Spectrum of Bennu Compared to Meteorite SpectraCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/NASA Johnson Space Center/K.H. Joy || 5. Simon – Clay Mineral Formation and Hydration ProcessCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona || 1. Nolan – Arecibo RadarCredit: Arecibo Observatory || 2. Nolan – Comparing Arecibo Radar Data and Ground-Based Shape Model of BennuCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Arecibo Observatory || 3. Nolan – Comparing PolyCam Imagery and Ground-Based Shape Model of BennuCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona || 4. Nolan – Comparing PolyCam Imagery and Updated Preliminary Shape Model of BennuCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona || 4. Lauretta – MapCam Red/Green/Blue (RGB) Composite Image of BennuCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona || 5. Lauretta – Bennu Thermal Emission MapCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona || 6. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped to show one section of the asteroid. || 7. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface – Boulder Pile DetailCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped to show one section of the asteroid, and an area containing a boulder pile, approximately 52 feet (16 m) in width, is circled. || 8. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface – Boulder Pile Detail MagnifiedCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped and magnified to show an area containing a boulder pile approximately 52 feet (16 m) in width in detail. || 9. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface – 35-Meter Fractured Boulder DetailCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped to show one section of the asteroid, and an area containing a fractured boulder approximately 115 feet (35 m) in width is circled. || 10. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface – 35-Meter Fractured Boulder Detail MagnifiedCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped and magnified to show an area containing a fractured boulder approximately 115 feet (35 m) in width in detail. || 11. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface – 31-Meter Fractured Boulder DetailCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped to show one section of the asteroid, and an area containing a fractured boulder approximately 102 feet (31 m) in width is circled. || 12. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface – 31-Meter Fractured Boulder Detail MagnifiedCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped and magnified to show an area containing a fractured boulder approximately 102 feet (31 m) in width in detail. || 13. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface Containing 20-Meter CraterCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped to show one section of the asteroid containing a crater (20 m) in width. || 14. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface Containing 20-Meter Crater DetailCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped and a section of the asteroid containing a crater (20 m) in width is circled. || 15. Lauretta – PolyCam Image of Bennu’s Surface Containing 20-Meter Crater Detail MagnifiedCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Dec. 2, 2018, the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft imaged Bennu from a range of 15 miles (24 km). This image is cropped and magnified to show an area containing a crater (20 m) in width. || 16. Lauretta – OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Operations TimelineCredit: University of Arizona || 17. Lauretta – TAGSAM Test ImageCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaThis image shows an artist’s rendering of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collecting a sample of material from Bennu’s surface in 2023. The inset photograph shows the OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) sampling head extended from the spacecraft at the end of the TAGSAM arm. The spacecraft’s SamCam camera captured the image on November 14, 2018 as part of a visual checkout of the TAGSAM system, which was developed by Lockheed Martin Space to acquire a sample of asteroid material in a low-gravity environment. The imaging was a rehearsal for a series of observations that will be taken at Bennu directly after sample collection. || 18. Lauretta – Mission Science ObjectivesCredit: University of Arizona || 19. Lauretta – Twelve-Image PolyCam Mosaic of BennuCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaThis mosaic image of asteroid Bennu is composed of 12 PolyCam images collected on Dec. 2 by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a range of 15 miles (24 km). The image was obtained at a 50° phase angle between the spacecraft, asteroid and the Sun, and in it, Bennu spans approximately 1,500 pixels in the camera’s field of view.