Bennu
OSIRIS-REx is Heading for Home in May
The OSIRIS-REx team decided to delay the spacecraft’s departure from asteroid Bennu for two months. The departure window opens in…
Asteroid Bennu has little pieces of Vesta on it
The asteroid belt is a chaotic place. Things smash into each other, get thrown into completely different orbital planes, and…
Bennu is Constantly Getting Sandblasted by Tiny Meteoroids
As soon as the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018, there was a big surprise. Scientists expected…
Asteroid Bennu is Getting Some Official Names for its Surface Features
Late last summer, NASA and the International Astronomical Union’s Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (a.k.a WGPSN) approved the naming…
Even Though it Was Observing an Asteroid, OSIRIS-REx Accidentally Spotted a Black Hole
While the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was orbiting asteroid Bennu, one of the instruments on board happened to catch a glimpse of…
The Site Has Been Chosen! Here’s Where OSIRIS-REx is Going To Take a Sample from Bennu
NASA has chosen the sampling site for its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. After narrowing it down to four potential sites and examining…
Why Are Particles Getting Ejected Off of Asteroid Bennu?
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018, and just one week later, it discovered something unusual about…
It’s Time to Decide. Where Should OSIRIS-REx Take a Sample from Bennu?
NASA's OSIRIS-REx arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018. During the past year, it's been imaging the surface of the…
This is the Closest OSIRIS-REx has Gotten to Bennu. Just 680 Meters Above the Asteroid
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been at asteroid Bennu since Dec. 3rd, 2018. On that day, it went from travelling to…
Asteroid Bennu has Already Thrown Material off into Space 11 Times Since OSIRIS-REx Arrived
The OSIRIS-REx mission has revealed some interesting things about the asteroid Bennu, which includes the 11 plumes it witnessed in…