Bennu Archives

A top-down view of the OSIRIS-REx Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM) head with the lid removed, revealing the remainder of the asteroid sample inside. -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

Sample Return Update: OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Revealed

by Keith CowingJanuary 22, 2024January 22, 2024

Erika Blumenfeld, creative lead for the Advanced Imaging and Visualization of Astromaterials (AIVA) and Joe Aebersold, project management lead, captured this picture using manual high-resolution precision photography and a semi-automated […]

Principal component values for all six meteorites studied at different grain sizes are shown with the “α-line” boundary from DeMeo et al. (2009) that separates the S- and C/X-complexes. Grain size variations can be seen by using the dotted line interconnecting PC values of measurements of the same meteorite at different grain sizes. Marker size increases with grain size which includes values of 45-90 µm, 90-150 µm, 150-300 µm, 300-500 µm, and 500-1,000 µm. The Lunar-style space weathering trend from Binzel et al. (2019) is shown with blue dots and a corresponding arrow showing the direction of increasing space weathering. The carbonaceous space weathering trend from Lantz et al. (2018) is shown with the brown arrow indicating that the measured weathering trend would move in either direction depending on the meteorite composition. It also shows that differentiating between space weathering and grain size effects would be challenging in PC space. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report

Grain Size Effects on UV-MIR (0.2-14 micron) Spectra of Carbonaceous Chondrite Groups

by Keith CowingJanuary 22, 2024January 22, 2024

Carbonaceous chondrites are among the most important meteorite types and have played a vital role in deciphering the origin and evolution of our solar system.

On September 24, 2023, OSIRIS-REx returned its sample of asteroid Bennu to Earth. Animation credit: NASA Goddard's Scientific Visualization Studio Larger image

Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Astrobiology/Astrogeology Sample Return Update: Likely Cause of OSIRIS-REx Parachute Issue

by Keith CowingDecember 6, 2023April 22, 2024

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule landed under parachute in the Utah desert on Sept. 24, 2023, and safely delivered a cannister of rocks and dust collected from near-Earth asteroid Bennu. […]

The first public display of a sample from asteroid Bennu Credit: (NASA/Keegan Barber)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release

National Museum of Natural History Unveils Display of Asteroid Bennu Sample

by Keith CowingNovember 3, 2023

The first public display of a sample from asteroid Bennu is seen, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release

The OSIRIS-REx Bennu Asteroid Sample Contains Carbon And Water

by Keith CowingOctober 11, 2023October 11, 2023

Initial studies of the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu sample collected in space and brought to Earth by NASA show evidence of water and high-carbon content, which together could indicate the building […]

A shipping container with the canister of asteroid Bennu sample is strapped down onboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft. The sample canister, along with disassembled capsule components and environmental samples from Utah, was transported to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Sept. 25, 2023 – one day after landing in the Utah desert. Credit: NASA/ Molly Wasser.

Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return

OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule Arrives At Johnson Space Center

by Keith CowingSeptember 27, 2023April 22, 2024

The first U.S. asteroid sample, delivered by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to Earth on Sept. 24, has arrived at its permanent home at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it […]

The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after touching down in the desert, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Department of Defense's Utah Test and Training Range.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release

The OSIRIS-REx Samples From Bennu Have Landed On Earth

by Keith CowingSeptember 25, 2023September 25, 2023

After years of anticipation and hard work by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer) team, a capsule of rocks and dust collected from asteroid […]

Taken on Oct. 28 by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, this image shows the collector head after it was separated from the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism arm. The collector head is secured onto the capture ring in the Sample Return Capsule. NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin

Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Comets and Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, Sample Return

OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Recovery Team Practices For Arrival

by Keith CowingMay 8, 2023April 22, 2024

In anticipation of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample delivery this fall, the team held our first round of rehearsals April 17 to April 27. Our goal was to practice retrieving the […]

Astrogeology, Press Release

Water-bearing Minerals Discovered On Asteroid Bennu

by Keith CowingMarch 19, 2019

A Southwest Research Institute-led team discovered evidence of abundant water-bearing minerals on the surface of the near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu. Using early spectral data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft orbiting the […]