NASA is almost ready to hit asteroid Bennu

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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been investigating asteroid Bennu since arriving there in 2018, sharing photos of the distant body. But the craft didn’t just go there to take pictures – it will also touch the asteroid’s surface and take a sample to be sent back to Earth.

This week, OSIRIS-REx performed its last test before its scheduled touchdown. The rehearsal lasted for four hours, during which time NASA engineers verified that the spacecraft could perform its functions as intended, checking for its burn on departure from orbit, the “checkpoint” burn during which autonomous systems check the position and speed of the craft and adjust as needed to bring it in line with the asteroid and the “Matchpoint” burn during which the craft matches the speed of the asteroid so that it can land accurately and safely.

As part of the rehearsal, OSIRIS-REx also deployed its sampling arm, called the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), which it will use to take a rock and dust sample. the surface of the asteroid.

This artist's rendering shows the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collecting a sample from the asteroid Bennu using a mechanical arm to touch the asteroid's surface.
This artist’s rendering shows the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collecting a sample from the asteroid Bennu using a mechanical arm to touch the asteroid’s surface. NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center

“Many important systems were used during this rehearsal – communications, spacecraft thrusters and, most importantly, the on-board guidance system for tracking natural features and the hazard map,” the lead researcher said. of OSIRIS-REx, Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, in a statement. “Now that we have taken this step, we are confident in the finalization of procedures for the TAG [touch and go] Event. This rehearsal confirmed that the team and all spacecraft systems are ready to take a sample in October.

During the rehearsals, the spacecraft was also able to collect scientific data, including images of the asteroid and spectrometric observations. You can see some of the data captured in the video at the top of the page, which shows footage taken by OSIRIS-REx’s SamCam camera as the spacecraft neared the asteroid’s surface. The images were taken over a period of less than 15 minutes and during rehearsal the craft approached just 131 feet from the asteroid’s surface.

With everything working and the repetition deemed successful, OSIRIS-REx is ready to hit the asteroid and take a sample on October 20, 2020. It will then return this sample to Earth for study, arriving on September 24, 2023.

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