MapCam Images Bennu During Dust Plume Search

MapCam Images Bennu During Dust Plume Search

This MapCam image of the space surrounding asteroid Bennu was taken on Sept. 12, 2018, during the OSIRIS-REx mission’s Dust Plume Search observation campaign. Bennu, circled in green, is approximately 621 thousand miles (1 million km) from the spacecraft. The image was created by coadding 64 ten-second exposures.

The mission team conducted the search to determine whether dust and gas plumes could be detected originating from Bennu’s surface. If present, these plumes could present a hazard to the spacecraft during the asteroid proximity operations, as well as provide clues to possible cometary activity on the asteroid. The images from the search did not indicate any dust from Bennu. A second dust plume search will be conducted later in the mission while the spacecraft is operating around Bennu.

Date Taken: Sept. 12, 2018

Instrument Used: OCAMS (MapCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

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MapCam Images Bennu During Dust Plume Search

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