OSIRIS-REx Post-TAG Briefing
- Graphics:
- Dan Gallagher
- View full credits
The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft unfurled its robotic arm on Oct. 20, 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. If the sample collection event, known as “Touch-And-Go” (TAG), provided enough of a sample, mission teams will command the spacecraft to begin stowing the precious primordial cargo to begin its journey back to Earth in March 2021.
Movies
- A_samcam_approach_and_tag_37x_2.mp4 (1024x1024) [5.6 MB]
- A_samcam_approach_and_tag_37x_2.webm (1024x1024) [1.4 MB]
Images
- A_samcam_approach_and_tag_37x_2.gif (1024x1024) [101.9 MB]
- 13744_thumb1.jpg (3840x2160) [1.8 MB]
- 13744_thumb1_thm.png (80x40) [5.6 KB]
- 13744_thumb1_searchweb.png (320x180) [76.5 KB]
1. Lauretta - TAG Movie 1
Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona
2. Lauretta - TAG Movie 2
Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona
3. Lauretta - TAG Movie 3
Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona
1. Burns - TAGSAM Explained
OSIRIS-REx descended 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. Burns - Nightingale Hazard Map and TAG Location
Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona
3. Burns - Backaway
After collecting the sample of Bennu, OSIRIS-REx fired its thrusters and backed away to a safe distance from the asteroid.
Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab/SVS
1. Freund - Sample Imaging Verification
OSIRIS-REx will use its SamCam instrument to visually inspect the TAGSAM head and verify sample collection.
Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab
2. Freund - Sample Mass Measurement
To measure the mass of the collected sample, OSIRIS-REx will extend its TAGSAM arm and perform a spin maneuver.
Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab

1. Bridenstine
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. Credit: NASA

1. Zurbuchen
NASA Science Associate Administrator Dr. Thomas H. Zurbuchen. Credit: NASA
For More Information
See NASA.gov
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Graphic designer
- Heather Roper (The University of Arizona)
Graphics
- Dan Gallagher (KBRwyle) [Lead]
Host
- Nancy Neal-Jones (NASA/GSFC)
Presenters
- Dante Lauretta (The University of Arizona)
- Rich Burns (NASA/GSFC)
- Sandra Freund (Lockheed Martin)
- Thomas H. Zurbuchen (NASA/HQ)
Director
- Michael Starobin (KBRwyle)
Technical director
- John Caldwell (AIMM)
Audio technician
- Mike Velle (KBRwyle)
Support
- Erin Morton (The University of Arizona)
Technical support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET)
- Pat Kennedy (KBRwyle)
Floor director
- Rani Gran (NASA/GSFC)
Nasa administrator
- James Bridenstine (NASA/HQ)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Related pages
Asteroid Bennu’s Surprising Surface Revealed by OSIRIS-REx
July 7th, 2022
Read moreWhen OSIRIS-REx touched down on asteroid Bennu, it encountered a surface of loose rocks and pebbles just barely held together by gravity.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Subsurface” by Ben Niblett and Jon CottonWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. NO TITLES – Version for video editors. Revisit the TAG event in this narrated video and learn why asteroid Bennu’s surface is surprisingly weak.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Difficult Conversation” and “Into Motion” by Peter Larsen; “Big Data” by Dominique Dalcan; “Subsurface” by Ben Niblett and Jon Cotton; “Crypto Current” by Dominique Dalcan; “Spaceman” by RainmanWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. Version for Instagram Reels of full video.When OSIRIS-REx touched down on asteroid Bennu, it encountered a surface of loose rocks and pebbles just barely held together by gravity.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Subsurface” by Ben Niblett and Jon Cotton 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.Learn more about the surface properties of asteroid Bennu. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages
NASA OSIRIS-REx Final Command Go for TAG
Oct. 19th, 2020
Read moreEditor's resource reel - The Go for TAG command sequence is sent to OSIRIS-REx from the Mission Support Area at Lockheed Martin Space on October 20, 2020. October 20, 2020, 7:29 am MDTFinal commands sent to OSIRIS REx: Go for Touch-And-Go (TAG) Command SequenceLocation: Lockheed Martin Space, Mission Support Area, Littleton, ColoradoCredit: Lockheed Martin For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages
OSIRIS-REx Science and Engineering Briefing
Oct. 19th, 2020
Read moreMain title for T-1 OSIRIS-REx Science and Engineering Briefing 1. Intro to Briefing: Excerpt of Challenges of TAGMusic is "Avenger" by Max Cameron Concors of Universal Production Music. 1. Zurbuchen - OSIRIS-REx OverviewTop Left: OSIRIS-REx Launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 rocket on September 8, 2016 at 7:05 pm EDT.Top Right: Image of Bennu was taken by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.Center: Image of sample site Nightingale Crater, OSIRIS-REx’s primary sample collection site on asteroid Bennu, overlaid with a graphic of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to illustrate the scale of the site.Bottom Left: Image of OSIRIS-REx’s SamCam imager’s field of view as the NASA spacecraft approaches asteroid Bennu’s surface, taking during the second dress rehearsal for sample collection on August 11, 2020.Bottom Center: Illustration of trajectory and configuration of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft during Checkpoint rehearsal, which was the first time the mission practiced the initial steps of collecting a sample from asteroid Bennu.Bottom Right: Image of Sierra Gonzalez, Lockheed Martin Systems Engineer, taken April 14, 2020 during the four-hour rehearsal of the Checkpoint maneuver in which OSIRIS-REx came within 125 meters (410 feet) of Bennu’s surface.Credits: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/ Lockheed Martin/United Launch Alliance 1. Glaze - Asteroid missions and sample returnTop Left: Apollo sample processors (from left to right) Andrea Mosie, Charis Krysher and Juliane Gross open lunar sample 73002 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Moon rocks inside this tube have remained untouched since they were collected on the surface and brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts nearly 50 years ago.Top Right: Scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, Apollo 17 lunar module pilot, collects lunar rake samples at Station 1 during the mission's first spacewalk at the Taurus-Littrow landing site.Center: Illustration showing NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft descending towards asteroid Bennu to collect a sample of the asteroid’s surface.Bottom Left: Illustration of NASA’s DART spacecraft prior to impact at the Didymos binary system.Bottom Center: Illustration of NASA’s Lucy spacecraft performing a flyby of a Jupiter Trojan.Bottom Right: Illustration of NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft with Five-Panel Array.Credits: NASA/Goddard/JPL-Caltech / Arizona State University/University of Arizona/Johns Hopkins APL/Space Systems Loral/James Blair/Steve Gribben/Peter Rubin 1. Enos - Bennu Pyramid Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 2. Enos - Sample Site NightingaleCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 3. Enos - Nightingale Up CloseCredit: NASA/Goddard/SVS 1. Getzandanner - OSIRIS-REx Orbit ManeuversData provided by NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/MDACredit: NASA/Goddard/SVS 2. Getzandanner - OSIRIS-REx Lowest AltitudesCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 3. Getzandanner - OSIRIS-REx Imagery of Asteroid BennuCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 4. Getzandanner - TAG Orbit ManeuversData provided by NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/MDACredit: NASA/Goddard/SVS 5. Getzandanner - Sample Site Nightingale Hazard MapData provided by NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/MDACredit: NASA/Goddard/SVS 1. Buck - MSA during MatchPoint RehearsalCredit: Lockheed Martin 2. Buck - Spacecraft POV of TAGData provided by NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/MDACredit: NASA/Goddard/SVS 3. Buck - 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 4. Buck - Initiating NFT and Descent to NightingaleCredit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab 5. Buck - Nightingale Sampling Area to ScaleThis artist concept animation shows a size comparison of the planned sample collection area before arriving at Bennu (orange), and after arriving at Bennu (blue). The original mission plan envisioned a sample site with a diameter of 164 feet (50 m). However, the sampling region for site Nightingale is approximately 26 ft (8 m) in diameter. The area safe enough for the spacecraft to touch is the width of a few parking spaces.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab 6. Buck - TAG "What If?" Scenario - Descent onto a Hazard During 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 7. Buck - TAG Sequence OSIRIS-REx makes its descent to Nightingale and collects a sample using its TAGSAM collector head.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab NASA is hosting a media teleconference at 3 p.m. EDT Monday, Oct. 20, to provide an update on the agency’s first attempt to contact the surface of asteroid Bennu and collect a sample.The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft will travel to the asteroid’s surface during its first sample collection attempt Oct. 20. Its sampling mechanism will touch Bennu’s surface for several seconds, fire a charge of pressurized nitrogen to disturb the surface, and collect a sample before the spacecraft backs away.Participating in this mission update are:• Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate• Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division• Heather Enos, OSIRIS-REx deputy principal investigator, University of Arizona, Tucson• Kenneth Getzandanner, OSIRIS-REx flight dynamics manager, Goddard• Beth Buck, OSIRIS-REx mission operations program manager, Lockheed Martin Space, Littleton, ColoradoFor more information, go to nasa.gov/osiris-rex or asteroidmission.org For More InformationSee [https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages
OSIRIS-REx: Countdown to TAG
Sept. 24th, 2020
Read moreTrailer for the OSIRIS-REx TAG EventUniversal Production Music: "The Glory of Victory" by Frederik WiedmannCredit: NASA/Goddard 1. Zurbuchen - OSIRIS-REx OverviewTop Left: OSIRIS-REx Launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 rocket on September 8, 2016 at 7:05 pm EDT.Top Right: Image of Bennu was taken by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.Center: Image of sample site Nightingale Crater, OSIRIS-REx’s primary sample collection site on asteroid Bennu, overlaid with a graphic of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to illustrate the scale of the site.Bottom Left: Image of OSIRIS-REx’s SamCam imager’s field of view as the NASA spacecraft approaches asteroid Bennu’s surface, taking during the second dress rehearsal for sample collection on August 11, 2020.Bottom Center: Illustration of trajectory and configuration of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft during Checkpoint rehearsal, which was the first time the mission practiced the initial steps of collecting a sample from asteroid Bennu.Bottom Right: Image of Sierra Gonzalez, Lockheed Martin Systems Engineer, taken April 14, 2020 during the four-hour rehearsal of the Checkpoint maneuver in which OSIRIS-REx came within 125 meters (410 feet) of Bennu’s surface.Credits: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/ Lockheed Martin/United Launch Alliance 1. Glaze - Asteroid missions and sample returnTop Left: Apollo sample processors (from left to right) Andrea Mosie, Charis Krysher and Juliane Gross open lunar sample 73002 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The Moon rocks inside this tube have remained untouched since they were collected on the surface and brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts nearly 50 years ago.Top Right: Scientist-astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt, Apollo 17 lunar module pilot, collects lunar rake samples at Station 1 during the mission's first spacewalk at the Taurus-Littrow landing site.Center: Illustration showing NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft descending towards asteroid Bennu to collect a sample of the asteroid’s surface.Bottom Left: Illustration of NASA’s DART spacecraft prior to impact at the Didymos binary system.Bottom Center: Illustration of NASA’s Lucy spacecraft performing a flyby of a Jupiter Trojan.Bottom Right: Illustration of NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft with Five-Panel Array.Credits: NASA/Goddard/JPL-Caltech / Arizona State University/University of Arizona/Johns Hopkins APL/Space Systems Loral/James Blair/Steve Gribben/Peter Rubin 1. Lauretta - OSIRIS-REx AcronymCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 2. Lauretta - Asteroid 101955 Bennu rotatingThis rotating mosaic of asteroid Bennu is composed of 40 images captured by the PolyCam imager onboard NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft over a four-hour period on December 2, 2018. During the observation period, the spacecraft’s range to the center of the asteroid decreased from about 15.3 to 14.6 miles (24.6 to 23.5 km).Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 3. Lauretta - Bennu science highlightsCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 4. Lauretta - Bennu candidate sites and Nightingale flyoverData provided by NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/MDACredit: NASA/Goddard/SVS 1. Moreau - OSIRIS-REx Matchpoint rehearsalCaptured on August 11, 2020 during the second rehearsal of the OSIRIS-REx mission’s sample collection event, this series of images shows the SamCam imager’s field of view as the NASA spacecraft approaches asteroid Bennu’s surface. The rehearsal brought the spacecraft through the first three maneuvers of the sampling sequence to a point approximately 131 feet (40 meters) above the surface, after which the spacecraft performed a back-away burn.Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 2. Moreau - TAG Event timelinePreview of the OSIRIS-REx TAG timeline. To grab a sample of Bennu, OSIRIS-REx will break orbit and perform a series of engine burns in order to safely touch down at site Nightingale.Credit: NASA/Goddard/SVS/CI Lab 3. Moreau - Natural Feature TrackingOSIRIS-REx will autonomously steer itself to site Nightingale using an optical navigation technique called Natural Feature Tracking. Watch video on NFT.Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 4. Moreau - Sampling area to ScaleThis artist concept animation shows a size comparison of the planned sample collection area before arriving at Bennu (orange), and after arriving at Bennu (blue). The original mission plan envisioned a sample site with a diameter of 164 feet (50 m). However, the sampling region for site Nightingale is approximately 26 ft (8 m) in diameter. The area safe enough for the spacecraft to touch is the width of a few parking spaces.Credit: NASA/Goddard/CI Lab 5. Moreau - Sampling area Hazard MapsCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 6. Moreau - TAG "What If?" 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 Download recorded audio from this media teleconference. (Right-click and select "Save Link As...").NASA is hosting a media teleconference at 3 p.m. EDT Thursday, Sept. 24, to provide an update on the agency’s first attempt to contact the surface of asteroid Bennu and collect a sample next month.The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft will travel to the asteroid’s surface during its first sample collection attempt Oct. 20. Its sampling mechanism will touch Bennu’s surface for several seconds, fire a charge of pressurized nitrogen to disturb the surface, and collect a sample before the spacecraft backs away.Participating in this mission update are:•Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate•Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division•Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, Tucson•Mike Moreau, OSIRIS-REx deputy project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center•Sandra Freund, OSIRIS-REx mission operations manager at Lockheed Martin SpaceFor more information, go to nasa.gov/osiris-rex or asteroidmission.org. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages
OSIRIS-REx TAG Event: Animations
Oct. 19th, 2020
Read moreThe Checkpoint burn sends OSIRIS-REx toward sample site Nightingale. SamCam imaging sequence, from Checkpoint to Matchpoint, simulating one frame per minute. The Matchpoint burn zeroes out OSIRIS-REx's horizontal velocity relative to site Nightingale, so that the spacecraft does not tip over during TAG. SamCam imaging sequence, from Matchpoint to TAG, simulating one frame every 15 seconds. OSIRIS-REx will use an onboard Hazard Map to autonomously determine whether it is safe to touch down on Bennu's rocky surface at the predicted point of contact. After OSIRIS-REx touches down on Bennu, it will fire nitrogen gas into the surface to stir up and capture loose material, then it will back away to a safe distance from the asteroid. The TAGSAM mechanism will fire nitrogen gas into Bennu's surface, creating a reverse vacuum in order to capture small rocks and dust inside the sampler head. After touching Bennu's surface for only a few seconds, OSIRIS-REx will fire its thrusters and back away to a safe distance with its precious cargo. This media resource page provides animations of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-And-Go (TAG) event. OSIRIS-REx is NASA's first asteroid-sample return mission. Its goal is to study near-Earth asteroid Bennu and return a sample to Earth in 2023. The primary sample site for TAG is a small crater called Nightingale, which is surrounded by large boulders that could pose a hazard to the spacecraft.All animations available in 4K Ultra HD resolution. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages
OSIRIS-REx Mission Design: Sample Acquisition Campaign
Aug. 17th, 2016
Read moreOSIRIS-REx approaches Bennu TAG Arm Deploy TAG Arm Deploy Reverse OSIRIS-REx desending to Bennu OSIRIS-REx approach continued TAGSAM getting closer OSIRIS-REx almost there Contact OSIRIS-REx Pulls away TAG Maneuver Interior Cutaway OSIRIS-REx backs away from Bennu Sample Verification OCAMS SamCam Sample Verification OCAMS Sam Cam 2 Sample Mass Measurement Sample Stowage Sequence Sample Stowage Sequence Closeup OSIRIS-REx Stows the TAG Arm Returning to Earth After 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. Related pages
OSIRIS-REx TAG Events
Oct. 19th, 2020
Read moreOSIRIS-REx Mission Support Area - TAG Sequence and CelebrationB-ROLL OSIRIS-REx TAG Event: NASA's First Asteroid Sample Collection Attempt Live Broadcast - October 20, 2020Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. OSIRIS-REx Post TAG BriefingLive Broadcast - October 21, 2020Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. OSIRIS-REx, which is about the size of a 15-passenger van, is currently orbiting the asteroid Bennu 200 million miles from Earth. Bennu contains material from the early solar system and may contain the molecular precursors to life and Earth’s oceans. The asteroid is about as tall as the Empire State Building and could potentially threaten Earth late in the next century, with a 1‐in‐2,700 chance of impacting our planet during one of its close approaches. OSIRIS-REx is now ready to take a sample of this ancient relic of our solar system and bring its stories and secrets home to Earth. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages