OSIRIS-Rex – Atlas V 411 (AV-067) – Canaveral SLC-41 – 08.09.2016 23:05 UTC

[tnt22]

NASA's OSIRIS-REx‏Подлинная учетная запись @OSIRISREx 54 мин. назад

Um. Whoa. This crater appears pretty flat in the first image. But looking at the second image = speechless.

Image Details:
https://bit.ly/2xH4z9W 
https://bit.ly/2xFDK5N 





54 мин. назад

These two images of Bennu's southern hemisphere and equatorial region were taken 17 minutes apart. They were taken on April 19 from 2.3 miles (3.7 km) away. The crater's diameter (top to bottom) is 135 ft (41 m), which is about the same size as the diameter of the Pantheon's dome

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/20190419benbengargoylecrater/

Bennu's Most Recognizable Features

This image captures some of asteroid Bennu's most recognizable features. Located in the southern hemisphere, Bennu's largest boulder—Boulder No. 1—is visible in the lower right of the image. Bennu's darkest boulder, which is near the equator, can be seen in the upper left sitting on the horizon. A crater that may contain sampleable material is also visible in the top center. The image was taken by the MapCam camera on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on April 19, from a distance of 2.2 miles (3.6 km). The field of view is 831 ft (253.3 m). For scale, Bennu's darkest boulder is 41 ft (12.6 m) high, which is about the height of a telephone pole. The image was obtained during Flyby 7B of the mission's Detailed Survey: Baseball Diamond phase. When the image was taken, the spacecraft was over the southern hemisphere, pointing MapCam north and to the west.

Date Taken: April 19, 2019

Instrument Used: OCAMS (MapCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

[tnt22]

NASA's OSIRIS-REx‏Подлинная учетная запись @OSIRISREx 4 мин.4 минуты назад
By request! Here's a different perspective of that crater within a crater in Bennu's south. It was taken while in a terminator orbit... you can see the line of dawn on the left. The shadows here provide a good sense of the larger crater's depth and size.

https://bit.ly/2JDc6Mc




4 мин. назад
The image was taken by MapCam on Feb. 24, from a distance of 0.9 miles (1.4 km). The light-colored boulder on the crater's left edge is 20 ft (6.0 m) long... about the length of a 15-passenger van.

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/?latest-news=asteroid-bennus-features-named-mythical-birds

ASTEROID BENNU'S FEATURES TO BE NAMED AFTER MYTHICAL BIRDS

August 8, 2019 - Working with NASA's OSIRIS-REx team, the International Astronomical Union's Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) approved the theme "birds and bird-like creatures in mythology" for naming surface features on asteroid (101955) Bennu.


This image shows boulder formations on asteroid Bennu's surface. It was taken by the PolyCam camera on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on April 11, 2019 from a distance of 2.8 miles (4.5 km). Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

OSIRIS-REx is NASA's first mission to bring a sample from an asteroid back to Earth. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been mapping Bennu's surface since its arrival on December 3rd, 2018, looking for a site from which to take a sample. Bennu is the smallest body in the Solar System to be orbited and surveyed by a spacecraft at close range.

The named features on Bennu will include several terrain classification types that the IAU also approved for asteroid (162173) Ryugu's surface features (currently being explored by the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa2 spacecraft). These include craters, dorsa (peaks or ridges), fossae (grooves or trenches) and saxa (rocks and boulders). The last of these types – saxum – is a new feature classification that the IAU introduced earlier this year for small, rocky asteroids like Ryugu and Bennu. These surface features on Bennu will be named after mythological birds and bird-like creatures, complementing the mission's existing naming theme, which is rooted in Egyptian mythology.

The name OSIRIS-REx is an acronym for the mission's major concepts and goals, which stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer. The name also finds inspiration in the Egyptian myth of the god Osiris. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Osiris is associated with the afterlife, the underworld and rebirth. He granted all life, including sprouting vegetation and the fertile flooding of the Nile River. Similarly, the OSIRIS-REx mission seeks to understand the origin and process of life on Earth by studying Bennu's carbon-rich regolith.

Bennu was named in 2013 by a 9-year-old boy from North Carolina who won the Name that Asteroid! Competition, a collaboration between the mission, the Planetary Society, and the LINEAR asteroid survey that discovered Bennu. Michael Puzio won the contest by suggesting that the spacecraft's Touch-and-Go Sample Mechanism (TAGSAM) arm and solar panels resemble the neck and wings in illustrations of Bennu, whom ancient Egyptians usually depicted as a gray heron. Bennu is the ancient Egyptian deity linked with the Sun, creation and rebirth — Puzio also noted that Bennu is the living symbol of Osiris. The myth of Bennu suits the asteroid itself, given that it is a primitive object that dates back to the creation of the Solar System. Themes of origins, rebirth and duality are all part of this asteroid's story. Birds and bird-like creatures are also symbolic of rebirth, creation and origins in various ancient myths.

The process of naming of Bennu's surface and features will begin this summer. The OSIRIS-REx team is scheduled to begin detailed reconnaissance on candidate sample sites this fall. Sample collection is scheduled for summer 2020, and the sample will return to Earth in September 2023.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator, and the University of Arizona also leads the science team and the mission's science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the spacecraft and is providing flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace are responsible for navigating the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program, which is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

[tnt22]

 NASA's OSIRIS-REx‏ Подлинная учетная запись @OSIRISREx 11 ч. назад
Asteroid Bennu itself is named after the ancient Egyptian deity Bennu, who was usually depicted as a grey heron.

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/?latest-news=nasa-mission-selects-final-four-site-candidates-asteroid-sample-return

NASA MISSION SELECTS FINAL FOUR SITE CANDIDATES FOR ASTEROID SAMPLE RETURN

August 12, 2019 - After months grappling with the rugged reality of asteroid Bennu's surface, the team leading NASA's first asteroid sample return mission has selected four potential sites for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft to "tag" its cosmic dance partner.

Since its arrival in December 2018, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has mapped the entire asteroid in order to identify the safest and most accessible spots for the spacecraft to collect a sample. These four sites now will be studied in further detail in order to sel ect the final two sites – a primary and backup – in December.


The final four candidate sample collection sites on asteroid Bennu are designated Nightingale, Kingfisher, Osprey and Sandpiper. The final site will be selected in December 2019. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/CSA/York/MDA

The team originally had planned to choose the final two sites by this point in the mission. Initial analysis of Earth-based observations suggested the asteroid's surface likely contains large "ponds" of fine-grain material. The spacecraft's earliest images, however, revealed Bennu has an especially rocky terrain. Since then, the asteroid's boulder-filled topography has created a challenge for the team to identify safe areas containing sampleable material, which must be fine enough – less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter – for the spacecraft's sampling mechanism to ingest it.

"We knew that Bennu would surprise us, so we came prepared for whatever we might find," said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, Tucson. "As with any mission of exploration, dealing with the unknown requires flexibility, resources and ingenuity. The OSIRIS-REx team has demonstrated these essential traits for overcoming the unexpected throughout the Bennu encounter."

The original mission schedule intentionally included more than 300 days of extra time during asteroid operations to address such unexpected challenges. In a demonstration of its flexibility and ingenuity in response to Bennu's surprises, the mission team is adapting its site selection process. Instead of down-selecting to the final two sites this summer, the mission will spend an additional four months studying the four candidate sites in detail, with a particular focus on identifying regions of fine-grain, sampleable material from upcoming, high-resolution observations of each site. The boulder maps that citizen science counters helped create through observations earlier this year were used as one of many pieces of data considered when assessing each site's safety. The data collected will be key to selecting the final two sites best suited for sample collection.

In order to further adapt to Bennu's ruggedness, the OSIRIS-REx team has made other adjustments to its sample site identification process. The original mission plan envisioned a sample site with a radius of 82 feet (25 m). Boulder-free sites of that size don't exist on Bennu, so the team has instead identified sites ranging from 16 to 33 feet (5 to 10 m) in radius. In order for the spacecraft to accurately target a smaller site, the team reassessed the spacecraft's operational capabilities to maximize its performance. The mission also has tightened its navigation requirements to guide the spacecraft to the asteroid's surface, and developed a new sampling technique called "Bullseye TAG," which uses images of the asteroid surface to navigate the spacecraft all the way to the actual surface with high accuracy. The mission's performance so far has demonstrated the new standards are within its capabilities.

"Although OSIRIS-REx was designed to collect a sample from an asteroid with a beach-like area, the extraordinary in-flight performance to date demonstrates that we will be able to meet the challenge that the rugged surface of Bennu presents," said Rich Burns, OSIRIS-REx project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "That extraordinary performance encompasses not only the spacecraft and instruments, but also the team who continues to meet every challenge that Bennu throws at us."

The four candidate sample sites on Bennu are designated Nightingale, Kingfisher, Osprey, and Sandpiper – all birds native to Egypt. The naming theme complements the mission's two other naming conventions – Egyptian deities (the asteroid and spacecraft) and mythological birds (surface features on Bennu).


The final four candidate sample collection sites on asteroid Bennu are designated Nightingale, Kingfisher, Osprey and Sandpiper. Each circle has a 16.4 ft (5 m) radius. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

The four sites are diverse in both geographic location and geological features. While the amount of sampleable material in each site has yet to be determined, all four sites have been evaluated thoroughly to ensure the spacecraft's safety as it descends to, touches and collects a sample from the asteroid's surface.

Nightingale is the northern-most site, situated at 56 degrees north latitude on Bennu. There are multiple possible sampling regions in this site, which is set in a small crater encompassed by a larger crater 459 feet (140 m) in diameter. The site contains mostly fine-grain, dark material and has the lowest albedo, or reflection, and surface temperature of the four sites.

Kingfisher is located in a small crater near Bennu's equator at 11 degrees north latitude. The crater has a diameter of 26 feet (8 m) and is surrounded by boulders, although the site itself is free of large rocks. Among the four sites, Kingfisher has the strongest spectral signature for hydrated minerals.

Osprey is set in a small crater, 66 feet (20 m) in diameter, which is also located in Bennu's equatorial region at 11 degrees north latitude. There are several possible sampling regions within the site. The diversity of rock types in the surrounding area suggests that the regolith within Osprey may also be diverse. Osprey has the strongest spectral signature of carbon-rich material among the four sites.

Sandpiper is located in Bennu's southern hemisphere, at 47 degrees south latitude. The site is in a relatively flat area on the wall of a large crater 207 ft (63 m) in diameter. Hydrated minerals are also present, which indicates that Sandpiper may contain unmodified water-rich material.

This fall, OSIRIS-REx will begin detailed analyses of the four candidate sites during the mission's reconnaissance phase. During the first stage of this phase, the spacecraft will execute high passes over each of the four sites from a distance of 0.8 miles (1.29 km) to confirm they are safe and contain sampleable material. Closeup imaging also will map the features and landmarks required for the spacecraft's autonomous navigation to the asteroid's surface. The team will use the data fr om these passes to select the final primary and backup sample collection sites in December.


The final four candidate sample collection sites shown on a map of asteroid Bennu. They are designated Nightingale, Kingfisher, Osprey and Sandpiper. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

The second and third stages of reconnaissance will begin in early 2020 when the spacecraft will perform passes over the final two sites at lower altitudes and take even higher resolution observations of the surface to identify features, such as groupings of rocks that will be used to navigate to the surface for sample collection. OSIRIS-REx sample collection is scheduled for the latter half of 2020, and the spacecraft will return the asteroid samples to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023.

Goddard provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator, and the University of Arizona leads the science team and the mission's science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the spacecraft and is providing flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace are responsible for navigating the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program, which is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

To explore the final four candidate sites in detail, click here.

[tnt22]

Asteroid Bennu Sample Site Finalists

 NASA Goddard

Опубликовано: 12 авг. 2019 г.

(0:22)

[tnt22]

 NASA's OSIRIS-REx‏ Подлинная учетная запись @OSIRISREx 7 мин. назад
The spacecraft is about the size of a 15-passenger van, so for a familiar perspective, here's what each candidate site on Bennu would look like in a standard parking lot...




7 мин. назад
Nightingale, which lies within the white circle, covers roughly 6 parking spaces. Sampling regions in this site range from 16 ft (5 m) to 33 ft (10 m) in radius.




7 мин. назад
Kingfisher, which lies within the white circle, covers roughly 6 parking spaces. The radius of the sample site is 16 ft (5 m).




7 мин. назад
Osprey, which lies within the white circle, covers roughly 6 parking spaces. Sampling regions in this site are 16 ft (5 m) in radius.




7 мин. назад
Sandpiper, which lies within the white circle, covers roughly 6 parking spaces. The radius of the sample site is 16 ft (5 m).

[tnt22]

 NASA's OSIRIS-REx‏ Подлинная учетная запись @OSIRISREx 2 ч. назад
New mission phase alert! Orbital C began just over a week ago. At an altitude of 1.1 miles (1.7 km), this new orbit is slightly higher than Orbital B. Orbital C is designed to study and monitor asteroid Bennu's particle ejection events.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/2KIchrn

https://www.asteroidmission.org/orbital-c-phase/

ORBITAL C PHASE



During Orbital C Phase, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft entered its third orbital phase around asteroid Bennu. On August 8, 2019, the spacecraft performed a navigation maneuver that placed it into a circular orbit 1.1 miles (1.7 km) fr om the center of Bennu. While in this orbit, the spacecraft will take approximately 57 hours to complete one full orbit around the asteroid. In its previous orbital phase, Orbital B, the spacecraft was 0.4 miles (680 meters) above the asteroid's surface, or 0.6 miles (930 meters) from the center of Bennu, and completed one orbit every 22 hours.

At a slightly higher altitude, Orbital C is similar to the frozen orbit used in Orbital A. The spacecraft will spend 5 weeks in this orbit, during which OSIRIS-REx will continue high cadence particle monitoring for 30 days. Using NavCam images, the team will further study the asteroid's particle ejection events in order to pinpoint wh ere the events are happening on Bennu, and to document the frequency of ejection events.

Orbital C is scheduled through the second week of September, after which the spacecraft will begin its transition into Reconnaissance A phase for high passes over the four candidate sample collection sites. Data from these passes will be used to select the final two sites – a primary and a back-up – for the touchdown event next year.

[tnt22]

 NASA's OSIRIS-REx‏ Подлинная учетная запись @OSIRISREx 28 мин. назад
Capturing the beauty and mystery of other worlds #WorldPhotographyDay   This image of asteroid Bennu was taken by PolyCam, built by @UALPL's OCAMS team, on April 11 from a distance of 2.9 miles (4.6 km).

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/mixedrocks/

Mixed Rocks on Prime Meridian Boulder

This image shows a variety of rock types situated on asteroid Bennu's prime meridian boulder, located in the southern hemisphere. Both rough and smooth textures are present, as well as contrasting sizes and brightness. The image was taken by the PolyCam camera on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on July 2, from a distance of 0.4 miles (0.7 km). The field of view is 30 ft (9.0 m). For scale, the crack in the boulder (lower right) is 8 ft (2.5 m) long, which is about the length of a horse. The image was obtained during the mission's Orbital B phase. When the image was taken, the spacecraft was over the southern hemisphere, pointing PolyCam north.

Date Taken: July 2, 2019

Instrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/20190702-smooth-boulders/

Smooth Boulders in the Equatorial Region

This is a detailed view of a small area located just south of asteroid Bennu's equator. Three relatively large boulders with a similarly smooth texture are visible in the image (lower left and upper right). The image was taken by the PolyCam camera on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on July 2, from a distance of 0.4 miles (0.7 km). The field of view is 31 ft (9.4 m). For scale, the brightest rock in the image (upper right corner) is 3.5 ft (1.1 m) long, which is about the length of a fully-grown Great Dane. The image was obtained during the mission's Orbital B phase. When the image was taken, the spacecraft was just south of the equator, pointing PolyCam straight down.

Date Taken: July 2, 2019

Instrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/?latest-news=flyover-candidate-sample-sites

FLYOVER OF THE CANDIDATE SAMPLE SITES
August 29, 2019 -

(00:57)

This animated flyover of each of the four candidate sample collection sites on asteroid Bennu, selected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, was produced using close-range data from the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), an instrument contributed by the Canadian Space Agency. It illustrates the location of each site on Bennu, the topography of each site, and the potential sampling regions that the spacecraft will target, which are 10 meters in diameter.

The laser altimeter on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has produced the highest resolution topographic maps ever of any planetary body. These maps of asteroid Bennu provide three-dimensional, detailed views of the OSIRIS-REx mission's final four candidate sample collection sites, which are designated Nightingale, Kingfisher, Osprey and Sandpiper.

OLAis equipped with two lasers and uses a steerable mirror to rapidly scan the asteroid's surface to produce detailed images of boulders, craters and other geological features. OLA collected scans using its low-energy laser transmitter (LELT) during the spacecraft's low altitude orbit – approximately 700 meters above Bennu's surface. The LELT is designed to fire 10,000 light pulses per second at the asteroid, and three-dimensional terrain models of the four sites were produced using these light pulses.

High-resolution maps of the four potential sample sites will allow the OSIRIS-REx team to assess the safety and accessibility of each region, locate landmarks that will help the spacecraft navigate during sample collection and identify areas of fine-grained material compatible with OSIRIS-REx's sampling mechanism. These maps will be crucial for selecting the final two sample collection sites in December.

OLA's LELT will continue to gather Bennu data in tandem with the other instruments on the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. The final selection of a primary and backup sample collection site will be announced in December 2019, and sample collection is scheduled for the latter half of 2020.

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/MDA

[tnt22]

3D global map of asteroid Bennu, as measured by Canada's OLA instrument

 Canadian Space Agency

Опубликовано: 29 авг. 2019 г.

2019-08-29 - This 3D global map of asteroid Bennu's topography was created from about 20 million measurements taken by the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), an instrument contributed to the international sample-return mission by the Canadian Space Agency. The colours represent the distance from the centre of Bennu: dark blue areas lie approximately 60 metres lower than peaks indicated in red. This model has a resolution of approximately one measurement per metre. Image creation: Michael Daly, Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science, York University (Credits: NASA, University of Arizona, Canadian Space Agency, York University, MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA))

(0:24)

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/20190702-cracked-boulder/

Cracked Boulder

This image shows a large, cracked boulder located in asteroid Bennu's northern hemisphere. The image was taken at 5:30 pm Local Solar Time, which explains the long shadows cast by the surface features. It was taken by the PolyCam camera on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on July 2, from a distance of 0.4 miles (0.7 km). The field of view is 34 ft (10.5 m). For scale, the cracked boulder is 17 ft (5.1 m) long, which is about the length of a mid-sized sedan. The image was obtained during the mission's Orbital B phase. When the image was taken, the spacecraft was over the northern hemisphere, pointing PolyCam straight down.

Date Taken: July 2, 2019

Instrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/20190703-angled-boulder/

Sharp-Edged Boulder

This image shows a sharp-edged boulder located in asteroid Bennu's southern hemisphere. The image was taken by the PolyCam camera on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on July 3, from a distance of 0.4 miles (0.7 km). The field of view is 30 ft (9.3 m). For scale, the angular boulder is 9 ft (2.8 m) long, which is about the length of a pool table. The image was obtained during the mission's Orbital B phase at 5:30 pm Local Solar Time. When the image was taken, the spacecraft was over the southern hemisphere, pointing PolyCam straight down.

Date Taken: July 3, 2019

Instrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

[Старый]

tnt22 написал:
 

 Sampling regions in this site range from 16 ft (5 m) to 33 ft (10 m) in radius.
 Kingfisher, which lies within the white circle, covers roughly 6 parking spaces. The radius of the sample site is 16 ft (5 m).

Как обманчив глазомер.  

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/sandpiper-regional-imagery-zoom4/

Images from Bennu's Southern Hemisphere

This series of four images showcases the different fields of view captured on asteroid Bennu by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's camera suite. The images are of an area near sample site Sandpiper, which is located in Bennu's southern hemisphere. The first, and closest, image shows a 9-foot (2.8-meter), sharp-edged boulder. It was taken by the PolyCam camera on July 3, from a distance of 0.4 miles (0.7 km), while the spacecraft was in Orbital B phase. The field of view is 30 ft (9.3 m). The second image was also taken by PolyCam on April 5 from a distance of 1.7 miles (2.8 km), during Detailed Survey: Baseball Diamond phase. The second image's field of view is 128 ft (38.9 m). The third is a MapCam image taken on April 29, during Detailed Survey: Equatorial Stations phase, from a distance of 1.5 miles (2.4 km). The field of view is 550 ft (167.6 m), and site Sandpiper is visible inside the large crater on the left side of the image. The final image is a mosaic of images taken by PolyCam on December 2, 2018, the day before the spacecraft arrived at Bennu. The field of view is slightly wider than 1,640 ft (500 m) and the spacecraft was 15 miles (24 km) from the asteroid.

Instrument Used: OCAMS

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/20190703concaveboulder/

Assorted Rocks in Northern Hemisphere

This image shows a region of smaller rocks and boulders located in asteroid Bennu's northern hemisphere. The image was taken by the PolyCam camera on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on July 3, from a distance of 0.4 miles (0.7 km). The field of view is 33 ft (10.1 m). For scale, the bright boulder in the center of the image is 3 ft (1 m) across, which is about the size of a television. The image was obtained during the mission's Orbital B phase. When the image was taken, the spacecraft was over the northern hemisphere, pointing PolyCam straight down.

Date Taken: July 3, 2019

Instrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

[tnt22]

https://www.asteroidmission.org/20190704-sun-lit-boulder/

Sun-Lit Boulder in Bennu's Southern Hemisphere

This image captures a view of a sun-lit boulder located in asteroid Bennu's southern hemisphere. It was taken at 5:30 pm Local Solar Time, which explains the evening shadowing. The image was obtained by the PolyCam camera on NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on July 4, from a distance of 0.4 miles (0.7 km). The field of view is 31 ft (9.3 m). For scale, the large boulder is 24 ft (7.2 m) long. The small, bright rock at the base of the boulder is 1.3 ft (0.4 m) long, which is about the length of a cat. The image was obtained during the mission's Orbital B phase. When it was taken, the spacecraft was over the southern hemisphere, pointing PolyCam straight down.

Date Taken: July 4, 2019

Instrument Used: OCAMS (PolyCam)

Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona