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Calling all scientific citizens: NASA needs your help. The space agency's OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid Bennu needs additional eye pairs to select its asteroid sample collection site and to search for any other information of scientific interest.
The OSIRIS-REx probe has been in Bennu since December 3, 2018 and now revolves around the asteroid. The main objective of the mission is to obtain a sample of the asteroid and send it back to Earth for a detailed analysis. The mission team must find a safe landing and sampling site that is conducive to sample collection and worthy of closer study.
The asteroid Bennu has rocks and we need them to be counted!
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission is seeking volunteers from the public to help map rocks near our potential sample collection sites. Come help me find a safe place to land!
More information: https://t.co/fzJM8Z7r4V pic.twitter.com/LuhvfVatJT
– OSIRIS-REx from NASA (@OSIRISREx) May 22, 2019
One of the major challenges that the team discovered after the spacecraft arrived on the asteroid is that Bennu has an extremely rocky surface and each block represents a danger to the safety of the spacecraft.
To speed up the sample selection process, the team asked citizen citizens volunteers to develop a hazard map by counting the rocks.
"For the safety of the spacecraft, the mission team needs a complete catalog of all the rocks near the potential sample collection sites. I invite the public to help the OSIRIS-REx mission team carry out this vital task, "said Dante. Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx senior researcher at the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Screenshot of the CosmoQuest Bennu online mapping tool. (Photo credit: CosmoQuest)
NASA works in partnership with CosmoQuest, a project run by the Planetary Science Institute, which supports citizen science initiatives. Volunteers will perform the same tasks as planetary specialists – measuring Bennu's rocks and mapping rocks and craters – using a simple web interface. They will also mark other interesting scientific discoveries on the asteroid for later review.
So, what do you need to start mapping rocks?
The CosmoQuest mapping application requires a computer with a larger screen and a mouse or touchpad capable of making accurate landmarks. The CosmoQuest team offers an interactive tutorial to help volunteers, as well as additional assistance to users via a Discord community and live streaming sessions on Twitch.
Screenshot of CosmoQuest online mapping tool. (Photo credit: CosmoQuest)
Bennu's mapping campaign continues until July 10, when the mission begins the process of selecting a site. Once the primary and secondary sites have been selected, the probe will begin a closer reconnaissance to map the two sites at a resolution of less than one centimeter.
The Mission's Touch-and-Go (TAG) sampling operation is scheduled for July 2020. The Space Shuttle will return to Earth with its cargo in September 2023.
Volunteer as Bennu Mapper here.
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