Why Did NASA Choose Asteroid Bennu? | NASA Goddard

Why Did NASA Choose Asteroid Bennu? | NASA Goddard

OSIRIS-REx was the first U.S. mission to retrieve a sample from an asteroid and deliver it to Earth. So, of the more than one million known asteroids in our solar system, why did NASA choose the near-Earth asteroid Bennu for its target? Three factors made Bennu ideal: proximity to Earth, the right size and spin rate, and a carbon-rich composition. Now, scientists studying the Bennu samples are learning more about the history of our solar system and the origins of life—thanks to this one-in-a-million asteroid.

Learn more about OSIRIS-REx and asteroid Bennu: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex

Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx blog: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/

OSIRIS-REx NASA page: 

https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: 

http://www.asteroidmission.org

University of Arizona's OSIRIS-APEX Mission Page:

https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/missions/osiris-apex

Video Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)

Chris Burns: Producer/Editor

Dan Gallagher: Writer/Director

Lauren Ward: Narrator

Kel Elkins: Data Visualizer

Chris Meaney: Animator

Michael Lentz: Animator

Lisa Poje: Animator

Walt Feimer: Animator

Josh Masters: Animator

Jason Dworkin: Scientist

Amy A. Simon: Scientist

Michael Starobin: Support

Sami Aziz: Support

Erin Moton: Support

Alana Johnson: Support

Rani Gran: Public Affairs

Rachel Barry: Public Affairs

Duration: 2 minutes, 18 seconds

Release Date: Feb. 15, 2024

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