Mission to Bennu
Bennu was unexplored and underappreciated before NASA’s OSIRIS-REx arrived. No one even knew what it looked like, and it was merely referred to as 1999 RQ36! Now the finely tuned machine of instruments will map the entire asteroid and collect at least 60 grams (2.1 ounces) of its surface to bring back to Earth for analysis. This mission began on 8 September 2016 when the spacecraft was launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft includes the best cameras, altimeters and spectrometers that NASA could offer during construction. There are three cameras in the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS): PolyCam, MapCam and SamCam. The OCAMS will be fundamental in mapping Bennu’s surface and recording the touch-and-go manoeuvre. The
Laser Altimeter (OLA) will use lasers to measure the distance from the asteroid for topographic measurements. The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (OTES), Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (OVIRS) and Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) will identify the minerals present in different wavelengths, and determine the elements present on Bennu's surface.
The spacecraft also has two instruments that will orchestrate the landing, sample collection and return of the carbonaceous asteroid. The Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) is a sample head fitted at the end of an articulated arm. The
Sample Return Capsule (SRC) is an aeroshell container that will survive the descent through the Earth’s atmosphere to keep the sample safe for the scientists – once they find it!
At the beginning of December 2018 OSIRIS-REx began its longawaited approach to the asteroid, defining its shape and orbit. During New Year Eve celebrations on Earth OSIRIS-REx entered orbit around the asteroid, sitting at a distance of just 1.4 kilometres (0.9 miles) away.