Site Sandpiper

Site Sandpiper is in asteroid Bennu’s southern hemisphere, on the southeast floor of a large crater with a radius of 103 ft (31.5 m). The site itself is a relatively flat area with a 16 ft (5 m) radius. Sandpiper is surrounded by steep slopes and large boulders that are scattered throughout the area. There are two smaller, relatively young craters near Sandpiper that may have ejected fresher material into Sandpiper’s sampling region. Sandpiper has the second highest albedo variation among the possible sample collection sites. Hydrated minerals are also present, which suggests that Sandpiper may contain potentially unmodified carbon-rich material.

Date Taken: March 28, 2019

Instrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

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