OSIRIS-REx Mission Design: Sample Acquisition Campaign

This 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. This is a single layer of the Web Around Bennu visualization that includes just the asteroid and the orbit lines with a transparent background. This is a single layer of the Web Around Bennu visualization that includes just the star background This is a single layer of the Web Around Bennu visualization that includes just dates 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. Related pages

The 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. An animated GIF of the asteroid Bennu with labels of the four candidate sites. UNLABELED VERSIONThe 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 are highlighted with PolyCam images. Print resolution (16k) still image of the candidate sample sites with labels. Print resolution (16k) still image of the candidate sample sites without labels. Pictured are the four candidate sample collection sites on asteroid Bennu selected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. Site Nightingale (top left) is located in Bennu’s northern hemisphere. Sites Kingfisher (top right) and Osprey (bottom left) are located in Bennu’s equatorial region. Site Sandpiper (bottom right) is located in Bennu’s southern hemisphere. In December 2019, one of these sites will be chosen for the mission’s touchdown event.Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona Candidate Bennu sample site - OspreyInstrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam) Candidate Bennu sample site - KingfisherInstrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam) Candidate Bennu sample site - NightingaleInstrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam) Candidate Bennu sample site - SandpiperInstrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam) Visualization of a rotating 3D model representation of the asteroid Bennu, created using data from the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) instrument. Global map of asteroid Bennu, showing the locations of the final four candidate sample sites.Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona Candidate Sample Site Labels 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. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-mission-selects-final-four-site-candidates-for-asteroid-sample-return) Related pages

Recorded audio from the OSIRIS-REx approach media teleconference on August 24, 2018, with accompanying presenter graphics. Individual graphics are available below.Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. 1. Jones - OSIRIS-REx Approach Phase opening remarksCredit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 1. Glaze - Planetary FleetCredit: NASA 2. Glaze - New FrontiersCredit: NASA 3. Glaze - Small-Body Missions and Common ThemesCredit: NASA/University of Arizona 1. Lauretta - OSIRIS-REx AcronymCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 2. Lauretta - OSIRIS-REx InstrumentsCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 3. Lauretta - The first image of asteroid 101955 Bennu(Available here as both a GIF and mp4 video.)Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaOn Aug. 17, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft obtained the first images of its target asteroid Bennu from a distance of 1.4 million miles (2.2 million km), or almost six times the distance between the Earth and Moon. This cropped set of five images was obtained by the PolyCam camera over the course of an hour for calibration purposes and in order to assist the mission’s navigation team with optical navigation efforts. Bennu is visible as a moving object against the stars in the constellation Serpens. 4. Lauretta - OSIRIS-REx Mission Operations TimelineCredit: University of Arizona 5. Lauretta - Approach TimelineCredit: University of Arizona 1. Moreau - Cruise and Approach phasesCredit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 2. Moreau - Preliminary Survey and Orbit ACredit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 3. Moreau - Small bodies and asteroid Bennu to scaleCredit: NASA/University of Arizona/ESA/JAXA 4. Moreau - Optical Navigation phasesCredit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona 1. Freund - The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at Lockheed MartinCredit: Lockheed Martin Space 2. Freund - The OSIRIS-REx Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM)Credit: Lockheed Martin Space 3. Freund - TAGSAM deployment test at Lockheed MartinCredit: Lockheed Martin Space 4. Freund - TAGSAM deployment during Approach PhaseCredit: Lockheed Martin Space NASA is hosting a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EDT Friday, Aug. 24, to provide an update on upcoming activities related to the agency’s first mission to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth.The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft, which launched on Sept. 8, 2016, started asteroid science operations last week, began imaging asteroid Bennu for the first time, and is now preparing to conduct the necessary approach maneuvers to rendezvous with Bennu on Dec. 3. 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:Lori Glaze, acting director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA HeadquartersDante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, TucsonMichael Moreau, OSIRIS-REx flight dynamics system manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterSandy Freund, OSIRIS-REx mission support area manager at Lockheed Martin SpaceFor more information, go to nasa.gov/osiris-rex or asteroidmission.org. Related pages

B-roll and canned interviews to be added on Thursday, Sept 21OSIRIS is pronounced: O-Si-Ris B-roll for OSIRIS-REx Live Shots on September 22nd, 2017 Canned interview with NASA Scientist Dr. Michelle Thaller with graphics rolled into answers. Full transcript is included. Answers are separated by slates with the questions Canned interview with NASA Goddard Chief Scientist Dr. Jim Garvin looking off camera. Includes full transcript. Answers are separated by slates with the questions on them. TRT 4:41 Canned interview without graphics rolled into the answer. Scientist is NASA Scientist Dr. Michelle Thaller. TRT 3:51. Includes full transcript. Question slates separate the answers. NASA's first-ever mission to collect an asteroid sample will get a boost from Earth THIS Friday. On Friday, Sept. 22, Earth's gravity will slingshot OSIRIS-REx toward its target, a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu. Scientists believe asteroids like Bennu may have seeded Earth with the organic compounds that made life possible. OSIRIS-REx — the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer — is a robotic mission that will map this asteroid and then collect a sample that it will send home to Earth.OSIRIS-REx launched last year, but because Bennu's orbit is tilted six degrees in comparison to Earth's, the spacecraft needs a boost before it can get to the asteroid. Earth's game-day assist on Sept. 22nd will position it to reach Bennu's path in 2018. One of the best ways to change the trajectory of a spacecraft (without carrying extra fuel) is by using the gravity of a planet or large moon to catapult it, and that’s exactly how our home planet will help OSIRIS-REx match the asteroid's path and speed. Join NASA scientists on Friday, Sept. 22, from 6:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. EST – just hours before Earth slingshots OSIRIS-REx toward asteroid Bennu – to find out why this maneuver is critical to the mission’s success, and how OSIRIS-REx could uncover the materials and processes that enabled life on Earth.When it arrives at Bennu next year, OSIRIS-REx will map the asteroid, study its orbit and collect samples that will be sent to Earth in 2023. There are more than half 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 book a window contact: Michelle Handleman/ michelle.z.handleman@nasa.gov / 301-286-0918.****HD Satellite Digital Coordinates: HD Satellite Coordinates for SES2-K21/AB: SES 2, Ku-band Xp 21, Channel AB | 87.0 ° W Longitude | DL 12111.0 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.What is OSIRIS-REx and where is it going? 2.Earth's gravity will slingshot OSIRIS-REx to the asteroid. How does that work? 3.Asteroids are time capsules from the beginning of our solar system. What’s so exciting about this particular asteroid?4.What's it going to look like when NASA high-fives an asteroid to collect a sample?5.Where can we learn more?Extra Questions for Longer Interviews:1.How do you determine when and where to get the sample from Bennu?2.What kind of science do we hope to gain from studying Bennu, especially with samples here on Earth?3.What will OSIRIS-REx do that's never been done before? 4.What will scientists do with the asteroid sample once it gets to Earth?5.How have previous missions helped NASA perfect the art of the gravity assist?6.Bennu is just one of hundreds of thousands of asteroids out there. How can studying asteroids keep us safe?Live Shot Details:Location: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Greenbelt, MarylandScientists:Dr. Jim Garvin / NASA Goddard Chief Scientist Dr. Christina Richey / OSIRIS-REx Deputy Program ScientistDr. Michelle Thaller/ NASA Scientist For More InformationSee [nasa.gov/osirisrex](nasa.gov/osirisrex) Related pages

When 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 OSIRIS-REx Earth gravity assist, Earth flyby. OSIRIS-REx Earth gravity assist, slew maneuver. OSIRIS-REx Earth gravity assist, instrument testing. OSIRIS-REx Earth gravity assist, after the flyby. OSIRIS-REx is NASA's mission to explore near-earth asteroid Bennu, collect a sample, and return it to Earth. To get to Bennu, however, OSIRIS-REx must first leave the plane of Earth's orbit and match the orbital tilt of its target. On September 22, 2017, OSIRIS-REx will approach Earth and fly over its southern hemisphere, passing within 11,000 miles of Antarctica. This gravitational slingshot will bend its trajectory by six degrees, sending the spacecraft on a path to intercept Bennu. Shortly after the flyby, OSIRIS-REx will look back at Earth and take images and spectra, ensuring that its instruments are ready for arrival at Bennu in 2018.Read more about the Earth gravity assist, or visit the NASA and University of Arizona mission websites. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages

OSIRIS-REx outbound orbit to asteroid Bennu, including an Earth-gravity assist approximately one year after launch. The gravity assist will adjust the spacecraft’s orbit, putting it in the same inclination as the orbit of Bennu. OSIRIS-REx performs an Earth Gravity Assist to enter Bennu's orbit plane. OSIRIS-REx outbound orbit to asteroid Bennu, with a top-down view of the Earth-gravity assist. OSIRIS-REx will approach Bennu in 2018. Upon arrival, the spacecraft will execute a series of maneuvers to study the asteroid. In this orientation, Bennu's North Pole points down. OSIRIS-REx will approach Bennu in 2018. Upon arrival, the spacecraft will execute a series of maneuvers to study the asteroid. In this orientation, Bennu's North Pole points up. OSIRIS-REx 'Baseball Diamond' scans OSIRIS-REx 'Baseball Diamond' scans with station labels fading over time OSIRIS-REx Equatorial Stations OSIRIS-REx Equatorial Stations with sun vector OSIRIS-REx transitions from Equatorial Stations to Orbital B OSIRIS-REx Orbit B precession over a two-month period. While in orbit around Bennu, OSIRIS-REx will study and map the asteroid's entire surface. OSIRIS-REx scans the surface of Bennu. Video available in both 30fps and 60fps formats. OSIRIS-REx scans one of several potential sample locations. OSIRIS-REx will perform a series of reconnaissance passes close to the asteroid. This visualization depicts a 225 meter pass. OSIRIS-REx will perform a series of reconnaissance passes close to the asteroid. This visualization depicts a 525 meter pass. OSIRIS-REx Checkpoint TAG rehearsal OSIRIS-REx Matchpoint TAG rehearsal After studying the asteroid for more than a year, OSIRIS-REx will briefly ‘tag’ the surface to collect a small sample, which it will return to Earth in 2023. OSIRIS-REx returns to Earth with its precious sample of asteroid Bennu. After releasing the sample return capsule, the spacecraft will go into orbit around the Sun. 8:3 aspect ratio version of outbound orbit 8:3 aspect ratio version of OSIRIS-REx arriving at Bennu 8:3 aspect ratio version of return orbit The 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. For More InformationSee [http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex](http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages

Official 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. Related pages

OSIRIS-REx's launch and Deployment movie. The animations for this video are listed below. Launch from Kennedy Space Center. Launch from Kennedy Space Center. Launch from Kennedy Space Center. Breaching through the clouds. Solid rocket booster separation. Main engine cutoff. Launch vehicle before Stage 1 separation. Main engine seperation Centaur engine ignites Fairing seperate from the Centaur OSIRIS-REx seperates from the Centaur. Solar panels deploy. OSIRIS-REx departs Earth. 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. Related pages

Large format image of OSIRIS-REx before sampling Bennu. Bennu title sequence Bennu size comparision. This page contains graphics and animation resources related to near-Earth asteroid Bennu, the target of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Related pages

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 OSIRIS-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. Related pages

OSIRIS-REx returns to Earth with its sample of asteroid Bennu. After releasing the sample return capsule on September 24, 2023, the spacecraft will go into orbit around the Sun.Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. SRC arrives back at Earth SRC seperates from OSIRIS-REx SRC heading towards Earth SRC ReEntry Heading towards landing site Parachute deploys SRC desending Touchdown Transport Sample Open Capsule On 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. Related pages

OSIRIS-REx spacecraft with push into Instrument deck. OSIRIS-REx spacecraft with push onto Instrument deck. This movie has an alpha channel Loop-able animation of the OSIRIS_REx spacecraft. Loop-able animation of the OSIRIS_REx spacecraft.This animation has an alpha channel. REXIS Instrument on OSIRIS-REx. OVIRS Instrument on OSIRIS-REx. OTES Instrument on OSIRIS-REx. OCAMS Instrument on OSIRIS-REx. OLA Instrument on OSIRIS-REx. OSIRIS-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. Before collecting the sample, OSIRIS-REx will spend over a year orbiting and studying Bennu with a suite of remote sensing instruments, located on the spacecraft's main instrument deck. These include the OCAMS camera suite for spectral imaging, mapping, and navigation; the OLA laser altimeter for measuring elevation; the OTES thermal emission spectrometer for infrared mapping; the OVIRS visible and infrared spectrometer for detecting organic compounds; and the student-built REXIS X-ray spectrometer for detecting individual atomic elements.Mission planners will use this suite of instruments to determine the best location on Bennu for collecting the sample, which OSIRIS-REx will return to Earth in 2023. Related pages

OSIRIS-REx makes its outbound cruise to asteroid Bennu. After 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. Related pages

1. Gordon Johnston - Spacecraft introduction 2. Gordon Johnston - OSIRIS-REx mission timeline 3. Gordon Johnston - OSIRIS-REx mission partners 1. Jeffrey Grossman - New Frontiers overview 2. Jeffrey Grossman - Asteroid exploration timeline 3. Jeffrey Grossman - OSIRIS-REx exploration 4. Jeffrey Grossman - Previous sample return missions 1. Dante Lauretta - OSIRIS-REx mission acronym 2. Dante Lauretta - Origins 3. Dante Lauretta - Spectral Interpretation 4. Dante Lauretta - Resource Identification 5. Dante Lauretta - Security 6. Dante Lauretta - Regolith Explorer 1. Christina Richey - Asteroid Bennu accessibility 2. Christina Richey - Asteroid Bennu size 3. Christina Richey - Asteroid Bennu composition 1. Rich Kuhns - OSIRIS-REx construction and shipping 2. Rich Kuhns - TAGSAM testing 3. Rich Kuhns - TAGSAM animation 1. Mike Donnelly - OSIRIS-REx instruments 2. Mike Donnelly - Kennedy Space Center arrival TV Backdrop - Large-format image of OSIRIS-REx preparing to sample asteroid Bennu OSIRIS-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. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/osiris-rex/index.html) Related pages