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[Music]

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How does one spacecraft image an
asteroid from as far away as

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a million kilometers, or as
close as just a few meters?

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Accomplishing this task is the
job of OCAMS: the OSIRIS-REx
camera suite.

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NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is
headed to near-Earth asteroid

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Bennu, a remnant from the
dawn of the solar system.

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OCAMS sits on the OSIRIS-REx
instrument deck, which will face
Bennu during orbit.

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It consists of three cameras
built by the University of

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Arizona, each designed to
provide the mission with a
unique perspective.

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PolyCam is a reflecting
telescope with an eight-inch

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mirror and a narrow field of
view, which will acquire both

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long-range and
close-up images of Bennu.

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MapCam is a medium-angle camera,
which will map Bennu in color.

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SamCam is a wide-angle
camera that will record the most

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crucial moment of the
OSIRIS-REx mission.

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OSIRIS-REx will spend nearly
two years traveling from Earth

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before approaching Bennu in
2018.

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PolyCam will be the first
instrument to spot the asteroid,

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as a faint speck of light up
to two million kilometers away.

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As OSIRIS-REx approaches Bennu,
it will switch from navigating

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by using radar ranging from the
Earth to using OCAMS to refine

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the asteroid's position and to
ensure a smooth transition to
proximity operations.

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Over the next year, the OCAMS
suite will scan Bennu at various

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resolutions, providing
global maps and close-up images.

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MapCam will use its color
filters for spectral imaging,

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revealing clues about the
asteroid's composition through

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subtle changes in its
color and brightness.

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In 2019, OSIRIS-REx will make a
series of close passes of Bennu,

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allowing PolyCam to image
portions of the surface with
sub-centimeter resolution.

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These images will prepare
OSIRIS-REx for its most

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important task, which will be
documented by the wide-angle
SamCam.

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After more than a year in orbit,
OSIRIS-REx will slowly approach

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Bennu's surface to grab a
sample of the asteroid.

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SamCam will capture the event in
a series of rapid-fire images.

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This visual record will
help scientists understand the

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context of the
returned material.

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In 2023, OSIRIS-REx will deliver
its sample of Bennu to Earth,

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where scientists will study
the sample for decades to come.

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OSIRIS-REx is investigating
asteroid Bennu, and OCAMS will

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provide the first close-up look
at this ancient remnant of the

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solar system – revealing clues
to Bennu's history, and our own.

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[Music, satellite beeping]