A newer version of this visualization is available.
OSIRIS-REx - Asteroid Bennu Sample Site Finalists
-
- Visualizations by:
- Kel Elkins
-
- Produced by:
- Dan Gallagher
- View full credits
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.
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.
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
For More Information
See the following sources:
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
Data provided by NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/MDA.
-
Animator
- Kel Elkins (USRA) [Lead]
-
Producers
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) [Lead]
- James Tralie (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
-
Public affairs officers
- Erin Morton (The University of Arizona)
- Nancy Neal-Jones (NASA/GSFC)
Missions
This visualization is related to the following missions:Related Pages
-
-
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. || web_around_bennu-orbits_bennu_stars.15100_print.jpg (1024x576) [105.4 KB] || web_around_bennu-orbits_bennu_stars.15100_searchweb.png (320x180) [55.9 KB] || web_around_bennu-orbits_bennu_stars.15100_thm.png (80x40) [3.5 KB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_60p/web_around_bennu-orbits_bennu_stars/ (3840x2160) [1.0 MB] || web_around_bennu-orbits_bennu_stars_2160p60.mp4 (3840x2160) [759.1 MB] || web_around_bennu-orbits_bennu_stars_2160p60.webm (3840x2160) [133.2 MB] ||
-
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. || bennu_spin_v3_02.1000_print.jpg (1024x576) [75.3 KB] || bennu_spin_v3_02.1000_searchweb.png (320x180) [18.4 KB] || bennu_spin_v3_02.1000_thm.png (80x40) [1.6 KB] || bennu_spin_v3_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [77.5 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/Bennu_GlobalSpin_20cm_v2/ (3840x2160) [256.0 KB] || 4857_Bennu_Global_Spin_20cm.mov (3840x2160) [12.0 GB] || bennu_spin_v3_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [242.3 MB] || bennu_spin_v3_2160p30.webm (3840x2160) [32.4 MB] ||
-
ID: 13565 Produced Video
Asteroid Bennu: Selecting Site Nightingale
Read moreAfter 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. || Bennu20cmGlobalPreviewV3_print.jpg (1024x576) [150.9 KB] || Bennu20cmGlobalPreviewV3.jpg (3840x2160) [2.4 MB] || Bennu20cmGlobalPreviewV3_web.png (320x180) [19.5 KB] || Bennu20cmGlobalPreviewV3_searchweb.png (320x180) [19.5 KB] || Bennu20cmGlobalPreviewV3_thm.png (80x40) [2.1 KB] || YOUTUBE_1080_13565_Bennu_Nightingale_MASTER_youtube_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [319.9 MB] || FACEBOOK_720_13565_Bennu_Nightingale_MASTER_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [252.3 MB] || TWITTER_720_13565_Bennu_Nightingale_MASTER_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [42.3 MB] || 13565_Bennu_Nightingale_MASTER.webm (960x540) [96.1 MB] || 13565_Bennu_Nightingale_MASTER.mov (3840x2160) [13.4 GB] || 13565_Bennu_Nightingale_MASTER.mp4 (3840x2160) [4.8 GB] || 13565_Bennu_Nightingale_CAPTIONS.en_US.srt [5.3 KB] || 13565_Bennu_Nightingale_CAPTIONS.en_US.vtt [5.3 KB] ||
-
ID: 13012 Produced Video
OSIRIS-REx Approach Media Telecon
Read moreRecorded 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. || OSIRIS-REx_TAG_preview.jpg (1920x1080) [380.4 KB] || OSIRIS-REx_Approach_Media_Telecon.mp4 (1920x1080) [4.0 GB] || FACEBOOK_720_OSIRIS-REx_Approach_Media_Telecon_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [1.7 GB] || TWITTER_720_OSIRIS-REx_Approach_Media_Telecon_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [934.4 MB] || OSIRIS-REx_Approach_Media_Telecon.webm (960x540) [427.4 MB] || OSIRIS-REx_Approach_082418.wav [51.6 MB] ||
-
ID: 12713 Produced Video
First NASA Mission To Collect Asteroid Sample Will Slingshot by Earth - 9.22.17 Live Shots
Read moreB-roll and canned interviews to be added on Thursday, Sept 21OSIRIS is pronounced: O-Si-Ris || osiris-rex_ega_beauty_shot.png (985x554) [2.7 MB] || osiris-rex_ega_beauty_shot_print.jpg (1024x575) [131.1 KB] || osiris-rex_ega_beauty_shot_searchweb.png (320x180) [83.0 KB] || osiris-rex_ega_beauty_shot_thm.png (80x40) [6.0 KB] ||
-
ID: 20251 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Earth Gravity Assist
Read moreWhen 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 || 20251_OSIRIS-REx_Earth_Gravity_Assist_FB.mp4 (1280x720) [138.9 MB] || EGA_1_Flyby_Preview.jpg (3840x2160) [742.5 KB] || EGA_1_Flyby_Preview_searchweb.png (320x180) [79.0 KB] || EGA_1_Flyby_Preview_thm.png (80x40) [5.5 KB] || 20251_OSIRIS-REx_Earth_Gravity_Assist_TWTR.mp4 (1280x720) [24.6 MB] || WEBM-20251_OSIRIS-REx_Earth_Gravity_Assist_APR.webm (960x540) [46.8 MB] || 20251_OSIRIS-REx_Earth_Gravity_Assist_APR.mov (3840x2160) [10.2 GB] || 20251_OSIRIS-REx_Earth_Gravity_Assist_YT.mp4 (3840x2160) [1.7 GB] || 20251_OSIRIS-REx_Earth_Gravity_Assist_FB_Output.en_US.srt [1.4 KB] || 20251_OSIRIS-REx_Earth_Gravity_Assist_FB_Output.en_US.vtt [1.4 KB] ||
-
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. ||
-
ID: 20253 Animation
OSIRIS-REx Launch and Deployment Animations
Read moreOSIRIS-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. ||
-
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. ||
-
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. ||
-
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. ||
-
-
-
ID: 4795 Animation
OSIRIS-REx – Global Model 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. || Bennu_spin_full_20cm.1000_print.jpg (1024x576) [82.7 KB] || Bennu_spin_full_20cm.1000_searchweb.png (320x180) [17.4 KB] || Bennu_spin_full_20cm.1000_thm.png (80x40) [1.5 KB] || Bennu_spin_full_20cm_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [111.9 MB] || Bennu_spin_full_20cm_1080p30.webm (1920x1080) [14.4 MB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/Bennu_GlobalSpin_20cm/ (3840x2160) [256.0 KB] || 4771_20cm_Bennu_Global_Spin.mov (3840x2160) [8.1 GB] || Bennu_spin_full_20cm_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [351.8 MB] ||
-
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. || bennu_sites_agu_4k_04_0750_print.jpg (1024x576) [155.8 KB] || bennu_sites_agu_4k_04_0750_searchweb.png (320x180) [64.4 KB] || bennu_sites_agu_4k_04_0750_thm.png (80x40) [5.1 KB] || bennu_sites_1080p30.mp4 (1920x1080) [82.9 MB] || bennu_sites_1080p30.webm (1920x1080) [9.3 MB] || frames/5760x3240_16x9_30p/Bennu_SampleSites/ (5760x3240) [256.0 KB] || frames/3840x2160_16x9_30p/Bennu_SampleSites/ (3840x2160) [256.0 KB] || 4771_Bennu_Sites_3D_Clean.mov (3840x2160) [4.9 GB] || bennu_sites_2160p30.mp4 (3840x2160) [218.3 MB] || captions_silent.28627.en_US.srt [43 bytes] ||
-