OSIRIS-REx Slings Orbital Web Around Asteroid to Capture Sample | 4K

101955 Bennu is one of Earth’s closest planetary neighbors – an asteroid roughly the height of a skyscraper, and since late 2018, the place that NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has called home. When OSIRIS-REx arrived on Dec. 3, 2018, it began wrapping Bennu in a complex web of observations. OSIRIS-REx departs Bennu on May 10, 2021, on a return voyage to Earth, bringing with it over 60 grams of sample collected from the asteroid. This narrated video presents the mission’s complete trajectory during its time at Bennu.

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

Music: “Visionary” by Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra; “Babel” by Max Cameron Concors, via Universal Production Music

Data provided by: NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/Open University/MDA

Video credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio
Dan Gallagher (USRA): Producer
Kel Elkins (USRA): Producer
Kel Elkins (USRA): Lead Data Visualizer
Dan Gallagher (USRA): Narrator
Michael Moreau (NASA/GSFC): Deputy Project Manager
Dante Lauretta (The University of Arizona): Principal Investigator
Kenny Getzandanner (NASA/GSFC): Engineer

This video can be shared and downloaded at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13856 . Some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on stock footage may be found here https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13856 . For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit https://nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines .
Transcript
0:00
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0:01
This is Bennu
0:03
one of Earth’s closest planetary neighbors
0:05
an asteroid roughly the height of a skyscraper
0:09
a remnant from the dawn of the solar system,
0:11
made of carbon-rich rocks and boulders
0:14
And since late 2018, the place that NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has called home.
0:20
When OSIRIS-REx arrived, it began wrapping Bennu in a complex web of observations
0:25
starting with a Preliminary Survey of its size, shape, mass, and spin.
0:31
On New Year’s Eve, OSIRIS-REx was captured into orbit by Bennu’s miniscule gravity,
0:36
making it the smallest world ever to be orbited by a spacecraft.
0:40
In early 2019, it broke orbit to conduct a Detailed Survey.
0:44
A series of sweeping passes allowed OSIRIS-REx to study geological features
0:49
at different latitudes and times of day,
0:52
enabling stereo imaging and landmark-based navigation.
0:56
During the Detailed Survey, OSIRIS-REx globally mapped Bennu
1:00
at only 5cm per pixel,
1:02
the highest-resolution of any planetary body, including Earth.
1:07
On June 12, the spacecraft entered a new orbit at an altitude of just 680 meters,
1:13
setting another record, and establishing a home orbit for the remainder of the mission.
1:19
In September, it began Reconnaissance on four candidate sample collection sites:
1:24
potential locations on Bennu to touch down and collect a sample later in the mission.
1:29
OSIRIS-REx concluded its first year at Bennu back in orbit,
1:33
circling the asteroid’s terminator, or boundary between day and night.
1:37
Here, outside forces acting on the spacecraft are balanced,
1:41
allowing it to orbit within the same plane over time.
1:44
Reconnaissance resumed in early 2020, with close flyovers of the primary
1:49
sample collection site Nightingale, and the backup site Osprey.
1:53
In mid-April, OSIRIS-REx performed the first of two rehearsals prior to sample collection.
1:59
It navigated to a predetermined “Checkpoint” about 125 meters above Bennu,
2:04
then descended to within 65 meters before backing away.
2:10
After the Checkpoint rehearsal, OSIRIS-REx flew one final
2:13
Reconnaissance sortie over site Osprey.
2:16
Then, it made a series of high-altitude maneuvers
2:18
while rebooting its onboard processor,
2:20
and preparing for its second rehearsal of the sample collection event.
2:24
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2:27
On August 11, OSIRIS-REx departed its home orbit and made a four-hour traverse
2:32
to Bennu’s northern hemisphere, retracing its earlier path.
2:36
After performing the Checkpoint engine burn to begin its descent,
2:39
it made a second engine burn called “Matchpoint” to match Bennu’s rotation,
2:43
before backing away at an altitude of approximately 40 meters.
2:48
Now, the most crucial moment of the mission had arrived.
2:53
On October 20, 2020, at approximately 11:30 am Mountain Time,
2:58
the spacecraft departed orbit.
3:00
A few hours before, mission controllers on Earth had sent the commands
3:04
for the Touch-And-Go sample collection maneuver, or TAG.
3:08
As they watched with anticipation,
3:10
OSIRIS-REx steered itself to sample site Nightingale,
3:13
maneuvering toward the small crater at the walking pace of a spider.
3:17
At 4:11 pm, the mission received confirmation:
3:21
OSIRIS-REx had touched down and collected its sample.
3:25
Following TAG, the spacecraft drifted to a safe distance away from Bennu.
3:30
By the end of October, mission controllers determined that it had
3:33
exceeded its goal of collecting 60 grams of asteroid material.
3:37
They directed it to stow the sample in preparation for return to Earth.
3:41
Before departing Bennu, OSIRIS-REx was given one final task.
3:45
On April 7, it flew over site Nightingale
3:48
to observe how the sample collection event had changed the surface.
3:52
And with that, OSIRIS-REx had recorded its mark on Bennu
3:56
and spun the last strand of its web.
3:58
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