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Credit & Copyright: OSIRIS-REx,
University of Arizona,
NASA,
Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio
Explanation:
On October 20,
after a careful approach
to the boulder-strewn surface, the
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's arm reached out and touched asteroid Bennu.
Dubbed a
Touch-And-Go
(TAG) sampling event, the 30 centimeter wide
sampling head (TAGSAM) appears to crush some of the rocks in this
snapshot.
The close-up scene was recorded by the spacecraft's SamCam
some 321 million kilometers from planet Earth,
just after surface contact.
One second later, the spacecraft fired nitrogen gas
from a bottle intended to blow a substantial amount of
Bennu's regolith
into the sampling head, collecting the loose surface material.
Data show the spacecraft spent approximately 5 more seconds in contact
with Bennu's Nightingale sample site and then performed its back-away burn.
Timelapse frames from SamCam
reveal the aftermath.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: asteroid
Publications with words: asteroid
See also: