Planets and Moons ID: 13745

OSIRIS-REx Touches Asteroid Bennu

Released on October 21, 2020

Captured on Oct. 20, during the OSIRIS-REx mission’s Touch-And-Go (TAG) sample collection event, this series of 82 images shows the SamCam imager’s field of view as the NASA spacecraft approaches and touches down on asteroid Bennu’s surface. The sampling event brought the spacecraft all the way down to sample site Nightingale, and the team on Earth received confirmation of successful touchdown at 6:08 pm EDT. Preliminary data show the sampling head touched Bennu’s surface for approximately 6 seconds, after which the spacecraft performed a back-away burn.

For More Information

https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

https://www.asteroidmission.org/

Credits

James Tralie (ADNET Systems, Inc.):
Lead Producer
Lead Editor

Kel Elkins (USRA):
Visualizer

Adriana Manrique Gutierrez (USRA):
Animator

Walt Feimer (KBR Wyle Services, LLC):
Animator

Michael Lentz (USRA):
Art Director

Erin Morton (The University of Arizona):
Support

Nancy Neal-Jones (NASA/GSFC):
Support

Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.):
Technical Support

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center