Close-up of Strix Saxum

This image shows the upper portion of Strix Saxum – the large, bright boulder located next to backup sample site Osprey on asteroid Bennu. Extremely fine-grained material is visible on the eastern edge of the boulder. The image was taken by the PolyCam camera on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on May 26, from a distance of 0.2 miles (0.3 km). The field of view is 11 ft (3.4 m). For reference, the fracture on Strix is 4 ft (1.3 m) long, which is about the length of a desk. The image was obtained during the mission’s Reconnaissance C phase. When it was taken, the spacecraft was over the northern hemisphere, pointing PolyCam slightly south.

Date Taken: May 26, 2020

Instrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

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Close-up of Strix Saxum

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