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NASA Reveals Surface of Asteroid Bennu is Like Plastic Ball Pit
July 8, 2022 -After analyzing data gathered when NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample from asteroid Bennu in October 2020, scientists have learned something astonishing: The spacecraft would have sunk into Bennu had it not fired...
NASA Spacecraft Observes Asteroid Bennu’s Boulder “Body Armor”
June 16, 2022 -Asteroid Bennu’s boulder-covered surface gives it protection against small meteoroid impacts, according to observations of craters by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith...
NASA gives green light for OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to visit another asteroid
April 25, 2022 -NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will swing by Earth to deliver a sample from asteroid Bennu on Sept. 24, 2023. But it won't clock out after that. NASA has extended the University of Arizona-led mission, which will be renamed...
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Team Receives 2022 John L. ‘Jack’ Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration
April 5, 2022 -NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission team received the 2022 John L. “Jack” Swigert, Jr., Award for Space Exploration by the Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates for space exploration and...
NASA Mission Helps Solve a Mystery: Why Are Some Asteroid Surfaces Rocky?
October 23, 2021 -Summary: Using data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, a University of Arizona-led team of scientists concluded that asteroids with highly porous rocks like Bennu should lack fine-grained material on their surfaces. Scientists thought...
NASA Spacecraft Provides Insight into Asteroid Bennu’s Future Orbit
August 11, 2021 -In a study released Wednesday, NASA researchers used precision-tracking data from the agency’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft to better understand movements...
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Heads for Earth with Asteroid Sample
May 12, 2021 -After nearly five years in space, NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is on its way back to Earth with an abundance of rocks and dust from the near-Earth...
WATCH: OSIRIS-REx will Begin Return to Earth
May 7, 2021 -NASA invites the public and the media to watch its first asteroid sample return mission begin a two-year cruise home at 4 p.m. EDT Monday, May 10, on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. The public can follow along...
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Leaves its Mark on Asteroid Bennu
April 20, 2021 -Like boot prints on the Moon, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft left its mark on asteroid Bennu. Now, new images — taken during the spacecraft's final fly-over on April 7 — reveal the aftermath of its historic encounter with the...
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Completes Final Tour of Asteroid Bennu
April 7, 2021 -NASA’s OSIRIS-REx completed its last flyover of Bennu in around 6 am (EDT), 4am (MDT) April 7th and is now slowly drifting away from the asteroid; however, the mission team will have to wait a few more days to find out how the spacecraft...