Site Nightingale, Simurgh and Roc Saxum

Site Nightingale, Simurgh and Roc Saxum

This image provides a view of the primary sample collection site on asteroid Bennu. It was taken by the MapCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on April 29, from a distance of 4 miles (7 km). The crater where sample site Nightingale is located can be seen near the top, center of the image – it is a small region containing dark, fine-grained material. Bennu’s prime meridian boulder, Simurgh Saxum , is also visible in the lower left of the image, near the asteroid’s limb. Directly east of Simurgh is Roc Saxum . The field of view is 0.3 miles (0.5 km). For reference, Simurgh is 125 ft (38 m) across, which is about the size of a commercial airliner. The image was obtained two weeks after the mission’s Checkpoint rehearsal, and one day before the spacecraft re-entered orbit around Bennu.

Date Taken: April 29, 2020

Instrument Used: OCAMS (MapCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

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Site Nightingale, Simurgh and Roc Saxum

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