Posted on 06/09/2020 8:38:01 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The probe has been orbiting the asteroid since 2018 and has been preparing to collect a chunk of asteroid rock, which it will bring back to Earth in 2023. OSIRIS-REx is set to take the sample from the site named Nightingale on Oct. 20, 2020, but on May 26 the spacecraft took a dive toward Osprey, the backup sample collection site for the mission. OSIRIS-REx dropped down to just 820 feet (250 meters) above the site, which is the closest the spacecraft has been to Osprey.
During the operation, the probe took 347 images from PolyCam, one of three cameras on the craft, which were stitched together into a mosaic to show the full site. In the mosaic picture, you can see Osprey located in the crater at the bottom of the image, right above the dark spot in the middle of the crater.
The purpose of this swooping maneuver was to provide high-resolution images that the OSIRIS-REx team could use to identify the best areas within Osprey for the spacecraft to take a sample should the procedure at Nightingale not work. Wherever the mission's sample comes from on Bennu the spacecraft will use its robotic arm known as TAGSAM (which stands for the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism). TAGSAM is made up of an 11-foot (3.4-meter) arm with three joints, a sampler head and pressurized nitrogen gas.
To sample Bennu, the spacecraft will descend toward the surface, unfold its arm, and briefly touch the sampler head to the asteroid's surface. The mechanism will release the nitrogen gas, which will rustle material on the asteroid's surface into the sampler head. Lastly, the spacecraft will photograph the sampler head to make sure that it collected enough material. (Scientists are aiming for at least 2.1 ounces, or 60 grams.)
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
“The probe has been orbiting the asteroid since 2018”
That is really cool.
I think it looks like Edward James Olmos face.
CC
Quick! Somebody warn Hank Johnson that an entire ASTEROID is likely to capsize.
But for the Grace of God, there were no Marines on this particular adventure
It looks like Detroit
I beleive that it’s been claiemd that asteroids contain vast quantities of gold
Yep:
“$700 Quintillion Asteroid Ignites Space Mining Gold Rush Between Mars and Jupiter”
Bookmark
You might consider firing your landscapers.
With all the crap going on now, it’s nice to see that humanity is still capable of noble things.
Thank for posting this!
This also shows our sun might have been the source of the Nova that took place not that long ago in geological time.
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That’s what my garden turns to about two days before everything starts to ripen.
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