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Sept. 26 marks 25 days until the Touch-And-Go, or TAG, sample collection event, after which the spacecraft will stow the sample for its return to Earth on Sept. 24. 2023. To celebrate the historic moment, UANews is counting down the 25 Days of "O-REx" with 25 facts.
A historic moment is on the horizon for the University of Arizona-led NASA OSIRIS-REx mission. In just a few weeks, the robotic OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will descend to asteroid Bennu's boulder-strewn surface, touch down for a few seconds and collect a sample of the asteroid's rocks and dust – marking the first time NASA has grabbed pieces of an asteroid, which will be returned to Earth for study.
NASA will hold a media teleconference to provide an update on the agency's first attempt to make contact with the surface of asteroid Bennu and collect a sample next month.
Bits of the asteroid Vesta have been found on the mission's target asteroid Bennu, highlighting the variety of asteroids in the solar system and what it says about its evolution.
While studying the asteroid Bennu up close, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft witnessed periodic outbursts of material being kicked up from the surface. Scientists detail the observations in a new collection of research papers.
During its final practice run in preparation for sample collection at asteroid Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft approached the surface closer than ever before.
The matchpoint rehearsal will allow the University of Arizona-led OSIRIS-REx team to exercise nearly all systems before the sample collection event in the fall.
The OSIRIS-REx science team has created the highest resolution global map of any planetary body. The endeavor is the latest in UArizona's long history of celestial imaging and mapping.
Scientists with the UArizona-led OSIRIS-REx mission found that rocks on asteroid Bennu appear to be cracking as sunlight heats them up during the day and they cool down at night.
