OSIRIS-REx Launch and Deployment Animations
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- Visualizations by:
- Walt Feimer
- View full credits
OSIRIS-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.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab
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Animators
- Walt Feimer (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) [Lead]
- Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
- Michael Lentz (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Writer
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Technical support
- Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Related pages
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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: 4744 Animation
OSIRIS-REx - Asteroid Bennu Sample Site Finalists
Read moreThe visualization begins with a rotating 3D model representation of the asteroid Bennu, created using data from the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) instrument. Four candidate sample sites (with labels) are highlighted with PolyCam images.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || OSIRIS-REx is a mission to study and map near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Its primary science objective is to collect a sample of Bennu in mid 2020 and return it to Earth in late 2023. In preparation, mission planners have identified four candidate sample sites on Bennu's rocky surface where OSIRIS-REx could briefly touch down to collect its sample. The mission will down-select to the final two sites – a primary and a backup – in December 2019. Like the mythological Bennu bird for which the asteroid is named, all of the candidate sample sites refer to birds that can be found in Egypt.Learn more about the candidate sample sites on Bennu. ||
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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: 20261 Animation
Journey to Bennu Trailer
Read moreOfficial trailer for NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is on a mission to explore asteroid Bennu and return a sample to Earth. The OSIRIS-REx launch window opens on September 8, 2016, when the spacecraft begins its two-year journey to Bennu aboard an Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral, Florida. After arriving at Bennu in 2018, OSIRIS-REx will spend over a year exploring the asteroid before approaching its surface to grab a sample. This pristine material, formed at the dawn of the solar system, will be returned to Earth in 2023, providing clues to Bennu's origins and our own.NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta is the mission's principal investigator at the University of Arizona. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages New Frontiers for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. ||
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ID: 12352 Produced Video
OSIRIS-REx Live Shots
Read moreB-Roll that goes along with the live shots.Click for a gallery of OSIRIS-REx VIDEO AND GRAPHICSClick for more information about OSIRIS-REx || NASA scientists are available on Thursday, Sept. 8th from 6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and again 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EDT – just hours before NASA’s FIRST-EVER asteroid sample return mission launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida – to find out why NASA is going to this asteroid, and what mysteries it might unlock about how life started on Earth and whether life could have started elsewhere in our solar system. We also have a Spanish-speaking scientist available. On Thursday September 8th at 7:05 p.m. EDT, NASA will launch the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer – or OSIRIS-REx – spacecraft that will travel to a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu. Asteroids are rocky debris left over from the dawn of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. They’ve changed little over time, making Bennu a pristine time capsule of the building blocks of our solar system. Crews in the local Washington/Baltimore area are invited out to Goddard Space Flight Center for a launch viewing event + availability for interviews with scientists Sept 8th from 4:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. EDT at the Visitors Center. RSVP information is here.To book a window – contact: Michelle Handleman at michelle.z.handleman@nasa.gov.HD Satellite Coordinates for AMC9-K23AB: AMC-9 Ku-band Xp 23 Slot AB| 83.0 ° W Longitude | DL 12151.0 MHz | Horizontal Polarity | QPSK/DVB-S | FEC 3/4 | SR 13.235 Mbps | DR 18.2954 MHz | HD 720p | Format MPEG2 | Chroma Level 4:2:0 | Audio EmbeddedSuggested Questions:1. Later today NASA will launch its first-ever sample return mission to an asteroid. Tell us more about this mission.2. Could asteroids contain the chemical precursors for life on Earth and in the solar system?3. You have a really interesting way to “kiss the asteroid” to collect a sample. Can you show us how you’re going do that?4. What will scientists do with the sample once it returns to Earth? 5. Where can we learn more? Live Shot Details:Locations:Cape Canaveral Air Force Station/ Cape Canaveral, Florida (from 6am-9am and 4pm-6pm) NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Greenbelt, Maryland (from 9am-2pm)Scientists:Dr. Jim Green / Director, NASA Planetary Science DivisionDr. Ellen Stofan / NASA Chief ScientistDr. Jim Garvin / NASA Goddard Chief ScientistDr. Lucy McFadden / NASA Scientist Dr. Geronimo Villanueva/ NASA Scientist [Interviews in Spanish] ||
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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: 20258 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft and Instrument Animations
Read moreOSIRIS-REx is a solar-powered spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems. The spacecraft bus measures 3.2 meters high by 2.4 meters wide (about 10x8 feet). With its solar arrays deployed, the spacecraft spans 6.2 meters in length (over 20 feet). A high-gain antenna on the sun-pointed side of OSIRIS-REx enables communication with Earth. On the opposite side is the TAGSAM, a 3.4-meter-long, folding arm that will reach out and grab a sample of the mission's target, near-Earth asteroid Bennu. ||
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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: 12339 Animation
OSIRIS-REx L-14 Press Briefing Graphics
Read moreOSIRIS-REx is on a mission to study asteroid Bennu and return a sample to Earth. The graphics on this page were created to support the OSIRIS-REx L-14 press briefing at NASA headquarters on August 17, 2016. All videos are available for download in broadcast quality. The majority of the videos do not contain audio. Links to 4K-resolution versions appear at the bottom of the page.Watch the OSIRIS-REx L-14 press conference.Learn more about OSIRIS-REx from NASA and the University of Arizona. || 1. Gordon Johnston - Spacecraft introduction ||
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ID: 12357 Produced Video
OSIRIS-REx L-2 Science Briefing Graphics
Read moreThis page contains supporting graphics for the OSIRIS-REx L-2 science briefing from Kennedy Space Center on September 6, 2016. OSIRIS-REx is a NASA mission to explore asteroid Bennu and return a sample to Earth. The graphics on this page are available for download in broadcast resolution. These graphics do not include audio.Watch the OSIRIS-REx L-2 Science Briefing.To learn more, visit NASA's OSIRIS-REx website and asteroidmission.org. || 1. Christina Richey - Asteroid Bennu accessibility || 2. Christina Richey - Asteroid Bennu size comparison ||
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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: 12360 Animation
![To Bennu and BackMusic credits: "Defenders of the Earth" and "Finding Gaia" by Daniel Jay Nielson [ASCAP]; Atmosphere Music Ltd PRS; Volta Music; Killer Tracks Production Music](/vis/a010000/a012300/a012360/ToBennuAndBack_thumbnail.jpg)
To Bennu and Back
Read moreNASA's latest New Frontiers mission, OSIRIS-REx, will venture to a near-Earth asteroid to discover clues about the unique resources asteroids hold, processes that affect asteroids' orbital paths and their potential for impacting Earth, and the origins of life in the solar system. In addition, OSIRIS-REx will collect a sample from the surface of the asteroid and return it to Earth for generations of scientists to study and analyze, making this the first American asteroid sample return mission and the largest sample returned from an extraterrestrial body since Apollo. OSIRIS-REx's launch window opens September 8, 2016. This is the journey #ToBennuAndBack. ||
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