Tour of Asteroid Bennu
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- Visualizations by:
- Kel Elkins
- View full credits
Take 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 Vandenhende
Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.
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 were instead greeted by a rugged world littered with boulders – the size of cars, the size of houses, the size of football fields. Now, thanks to laser altimetry data and high-resolution imagery from OSIRIS-REx, we can take a tour of Bennu’s remarkable terrain. Unlock the secrets of asteroid Bennu.
Data provided by NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/Open University/MDA.
For More Information
See NASA.gov
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Data provided by NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/Open University/MDA.
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Animators
- Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
- Jonathan North (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Visualizer
- Kel Elkins (USRA) [Lead]
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Producer
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Narrator
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
- Erin Morton (The University of Arizona)
- Nancy Neal-Jones (NASA/GSFC)
- William Steigerwald (NASA/GSFC)
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: 14387 Produced Video
Worth the wait! NASA’s First Ever Sample From An Asteroid Just Days Away From Returning to Earth Live Shots
Read moreLive coverage will begin at 10 a.m. EDT on Sept. 24 and air on NASA Television and the agency’s website, as well as YouTube, X, Facebook, and NASA’s App.For more information click NASA Invites Public to Share Excitement of Asteroid Sample Return ||
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ID: 5133 Visualization
OSIRIS-REx Return Cruise/Extended Mission to Apophis
Read moreTop-down view of OSIRIS-REx’s return to Earth after studying asteroid Bennu. A sample of Bennu’s surface carried by the spacecraft will be deposited at Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. The spacecraft will then begin its extended mission - beginning the long journey towards a rendezvous with Apophis in 2029. || OSIRIS-REx is the first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid, and briefly touched down on near-Earth asteroid Bennu in October 2020 to gather a cupful of material. Seven months later, it departed Bennu on a 1.2-billion-mile cruise back to Earth. OSIRIS-REx will deliver its cargo – a capsule containing the Bennu samples – to Utah’s West Desert on September 24, 2023. After flying past Earth, the spacecraft will adopt a new name for an extended mission. OSIRIS-APEX will spend five-and-a-half years in an elliptical orbit of the Sun and rendezvous with near-Earth asteroid Apophis in 2029. It will orbit and study Apophis for a year-and-a-half and will venture close to its surface to stir up loose material. The visualizations on this page depict a portion of the return cruise from Bennu to Earth (beginning in July 2022), and the extended-mission cruise to Apophis. The complete return cruise can be found on the OSIRIS-REx orbits, maneuvers, and mapping page. ||
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ID: 13908 Produced Video
Exploring Asteroid Bennu Through Technology
Read moreLearn how “Tour of Asteroid Bennu” was created using data from OSIRIS-REx.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Spindrift” by Max Cameron Concors; “Unearthing Dark Secrets” by Andrew Joseph Carpenter and Mark Richmond PhillipsWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || It’s hard to imagine what the surface of a dark, distant asteroid might look like, but NASA’s "Tour of Asteroid Bennu" brings us on a journey to see this landscape up close. The video, which was released in October 2020, uses elevation data and high-resolution imagery from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to provide viewers with stunning 3D vistas of Bennu’s rugged terrain. On August 9th and 11th, 2021, “Tour of Asteroid Bennu” will be featured in the SIGGRAPH awards electronic theater. Producer Dan Gallagher and data visualizer Kel Elkins discuss the making of the video, and how data-driven animation is enabling viewers to explore new worlds like Bennu.Learn more about the making of "Tour of Asteroid Bennu."Data provided by: NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/Open University/MDA ||
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ID: 13856 Animation
A Web Around Asteroid Bennu
Read moreOFFICIAL SELECTION – 2022 SIGGRAPH COMPUTER ANIMATION FESTIVALOver the course of two-and-a-half years, OSIRIS-REx wrapped asteroid Bennu in a complex web of observations. Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Visionary” by Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra; “Babel” by Max Cameron ConcorsWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || 101955 Bennu is one of Earth’s closest planetary neighbors – an asteroid roughly the height of a skyscraper, and since late 2018, the place that NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has called home. When OSIRIS-REx arrived on December 3, 2018, it began wrapping Bennu in a complex web of observations. OSIRIS-REx departed Bennu on May 10, 2021 on a return voyage to Earth, bringing with it over 60 grams of sample collected from the asteroid. This narrated video presents the mission’s complete trajectory during its time at Bennu.Data provided by: NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/Open University/MDA ||
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ID: 13849 Produced Video
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Begins its Journey Home with a Bounty of Asteroid Sample Live Shots
Read moreAssociated b-roll will be added by Friday May 7 by 5:00 p.m. EDT || NASA’s First Asteroid Sample Return Mission Preparing for Critical Maneuver to Head Back to Earth NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is on its way back to Earth! After almost two and a half years (two years, five months and eight days to be exact!) of operations at asteroid Bennu, the spacecraft is ready to come home carrying a bounty of asteroid material in its capsule. But first, the spacecraft will need to perform another flawless maneuver for a successful departure. There is no straight path back to Earth. Like a quarterback throwing a long pass to where a receiver will be in the future, OSIRIS-REx is traveling to where the Earth will be in the future. The spacecraft has to go around the sun twice, covering 1.4 billion miles (2.3 billion kilometers) over 2.5 years to catch up with Earth. NASA experts are available virtually for live or taped interviews on May 10 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. In 2016, NASA launched OSIRIS-REx on an epic mission to capture a sample of an asteroid and bring it back to Earth. On October 20, 2020, the spacecraft descended to the boulder-strewn surface of Bennu to a site called Nightingale, where the spacecraft’s robotic sampling arm snagged so much sample that it overflowed the collection system. 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. To Schedule an interview: Please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/32CNQ65bGPqwHCwH6 **Please note: requests received after 2:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 7 may not be accommodated. Interviews will be conducted using video chat programs including Zoom and Skype, in 15-minute slots. For example 600-615 ET, 615-630 EDT, etc. Our preferred program is Zoom and stations will have to send us a Zoom link to use. Satellite interviews are not available. Please do not use an IFB unless necessary. *Spanish Interviews are available* Participating Talent:Danny Glavin, Associated Director for Solar System ScienceJason Dworkin, Project ScientistHannah Kaplan, Research Space Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterHeather Enos, Deputy Principal Investigator, University of ArizonaJim Garvin, Chief ScientistJessica Barnes, Assistant Professor, University of ArizonaKenny Getzandanner, Flight Dynamics ManagerAnjani Polit, OSIRIS-REx Mission Implementation Systems Engineer, University of ArizonaAndera Jones, Public Engagement Lead, NASA GSFC Solar System Exploration DivisionGeronimo Villanueva, Planetary Scientist [Interviews in Spanish]Nayi Castro,Mission Operations Manager [Interviews in Spanish]Lucas Paganini, NASA Program Scientist [Interviews in Spanish]Suggested Anchor Intro:Five years ago NASA launched its first sample return mission.. OSIRIS-REX.. to an asteroid… Now it's time for the mission to start its return back to earth. To tell us more about this exciting endeavor we have NASA’s XXX... Suggested Questions1.OSIRIS-REx will depart from Bennu this afternoon at 4:23 pm ET. What needs to happen for the sample return capsule to have a flawless landing on Earth.2. Let's backtrack a little, can you explain briefly why NASA sent a mission to an asteroid?3.OSIRIS-REx collected a bounty of asteroid sample. What will NASA do with it?4.Recently, OSIRIS-REx did one last flyover of the sample site. Why?5.Over the last two years, OSIRIS-REx has collected a lot of data on Bennu. What are you most excited about?6.How can our viewers watch OSIRIS-REx’s departure from Bennu? ||
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ID: 4886 Visualization
Bennu visualization on the cover of Science
Read more3d model of asteroid Bennu with three data layers. Left to right - Albedo map with global image mosaic, carbon data, and false-color imagery. || This visualization of Bennu was selected for the cover of the November 6th special issue of Science. The image was created using high-resolution imagery and laser altimetry data from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Multiple data layers were wrapped to a detailed 3D model of the asteroid, representing just a few of the recent science results from the mission. More information about this issue of Science (as well as the final cover image) can be found here: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6517 ||
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ID: 4862 Visualization
TAG Event – Visualizations
Read moreThis visualization depicts the OSIRIS-REx TAG on October 20, 2020. The OSIRIS-REx satellite is represented by an orange dot and trail. The visualization begins with the satellite’s departure from orbit and continues through the checkpoint, matchpoint, TAG, and backaway maneuvers. || On Oct. 20, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will perform the first attempt of its Touch-And-Go (TAG) sample collection event. This series of maneuvers will bring the spacecraft down to site Nightingale, a rocky area 52 ft (16 m) in diameter in Bennu’s northern hemisphere, where the spacecraft’s robotic sampling arm will attempt to collect a sample. Site Nightingale was selected as the mission’s primary sample site because it holds the greatest amount of unobstructed fine-grained material, but the region is surrounded by building-sized boulders. During the sampling event, the spacecraft, which is the size of a large van, will attempt to touch down in an area that is only the size of a few parking spaces, and just a few steps away from some of these large boulders.During the 4.5-hour sample collection event, the spacecraft will perform three separate maneuvers to reach the asteroid’s surface. The descent sequence begins with OSIRIS-REx firing its thrusters for an orbit departure maneuver to leave its safe-home orbit approximately 2,500 feet (770 meters) from Bennu's surface. After traveling four hours on this downward trajectory, the spacecraft performs the “Checkpoint” maneuver at an approximate altitude of 410 ft (125 m). This thruster burn adjusts OSIRIS-REx’s position and speed to descend steeply toward the surface. About 11 minutes later, the spacecraft performs the “Matchpoint” burn at an approximate altitude of 177 ft (54 m), slowing its descent and targeting a path to match the asteroid's rotation at the time of contact. The spacecraft then descends to the surface, touches down for less than sixteen seconds and fires one of its three pressurized nitrogen bottles. The gas agitates and lifts Bennu’s surface material, which is then caught in the spacecraft’s collector head. After this brief touch, OSIRIS-REx fires its thrusters to back away from Bennu’s surface and navigates to a safe distance from the asteroid. ||
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ID: 4857 Animation
OSIRIS-REx – Detailed Global Views of Asteroid Bennu
Read moreLooping animation of asteroid Bennu rotating. This 3D model of Bennu was created using 20cm resolution laser altimetry data and imagery taken by OSIRIS-REx. ||
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ID: 4771 Animation
OSIRIS-REx – Asteroid Bennu Sample Site Flyovers
Read moreGlobal view of asteroid Bennu with insets of the four candidate sample collection sites. This animation is available in Hyperwall resolution (5760x3240).This video is also available on our YouTube channel. || 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.In mid-2019, mission planners identified four candidate sample collection sites, and named them after birds that can be found in Egypt: Osprey, Kingfisher, Nightingale, and Sandpiper. In December 2019, mission planners announced that they had selected Nightingale as the primary sample collection site, and Osprey as the backup. Late in 2020, OSIRIS-REx will descend to Bennu's surface and collect a sample of pristine material from the origins of the solar system that will be studied on Earth for decades to come.The 3D animations on this page were created using laser altimetry data and imagery of Bennu taken by OSIRIS-REx. The animations are available in Hyperwall resolution (5760x3240). ||
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ID: 11825 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Mission Design: Narrated Feature
Read moreThe 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, ImperatumWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. ||
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ID: 20220 Animation
Bennu's Journey
Read moreBennu's Journey is a 6-minute animated movie about NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, asteroid Bennu, and the formation of our solar system. Born from the rubble of a violent collision, hurled through space for millions of years, asteroid Bennu has had a tough life in a rough neighborhood - the early solar system. Bennu's Journey shows what is known and what remains mysterious about the evolution of Bennu and the planets. By retrieving a sample of Bennu, OSIRIS-REx will teach us more about the raw ingredients of the solar system and our own origins.The animation was produced in an 8 x 3 aspect ratio at a resolution of 5760 x 2160 and is available in its full resolution, 4K Ultra HD, 1080HD and 720HD versions in both a letter boxed and a 16 x 9 cropped format. ||
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ID: 20326 Animation
OSIRIS-REx TAG Event: Real-time Animation
Read moreReal-time animation of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-And-Go (TAG) Event. This animation accurately depicts the spacecraft's journey to the surface of Bennu. ||
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ID: 20325 Animation
OSIRIS-REx TAG Event: Animations
Read moreThe Checkpoint burn sends OSIRIS-REx toward sample site Nightingale. ||
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ID: 4863 Visualization
Tour of Asteroid Bennu – Visualizations
Read moreThis first shot of the sequence begins with OSIRIS-REx’s arrival at the asteroid Bennu. A low resolution view of the asteroid is presented and thermal inertia data fades in, representing our initial understanding of the asteroid. The asteroid then spins quickly to serve as a transition to the second shot in the sequence. || 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.This video explores several interesting features of Bennu. The surface features are presented in vivid detail thanks to detailed terrain data from the OLA instrument and high resolution imagery from the PolyCam instrument. ||
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