NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission prepares for touchdown on an asteroid

[smp]

From CNN:
"(CNN) - This week, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft conducted a final rehearsed of all of the maneuvers it will need to touchdown on the asteroid Bennu and collect a sample from it in the fall.
The collection will occur on October 20, making it NASA's first spacecraft to collect a sample from an asteroid and return it to Earth.
The OSIRIS-REx will leave Bennu in 2021 and return to Earth in September 2023 carrying about 30 sugar packets worth of material from the asteroid."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/15/world/na ... index.html

I don't know if this is new news or not - I'm not finding any other reports of this presently.

smp

[helicon]

Very interesting story Stephen. I hope we learn something new (and I am sure we will).

[andrewsscope]

Hi Stephen I have recently become a Nasa Osiris-Rex Ambassador and we had a zoom event on the 1st August about what is going to happen in getting a sample of the asteriod.They reckon that Bennu could hit the earth in 2160 as it orbits every six years close to the earth,so we have about 160 years left before it makes contact,it is a very interesting subject as it is being organised from Arizona University.

[AntennaGuy]

Hi Stephen I have recently become a Nasa Osiris-Rex Ambassador and we had a zoom event on the 1st August about what is going to happen in getting a sample of the asteriod.They reckon that Bennu could hit the earth in 2160 as it orbits every six years close to the earth,so we have about 160 years left before it makes contact,it is a very interesting subject as it is being organised from Arizona University.

Awesome. Can you give us an update? Here's a new story I just found about it:
https://www.space.com/nasa-asteroid-ben ... tober-2020

[andrewsscope]

Hi Stephen I have recently become a Nasa Osiris-Rex Ambassador and we had a zoom event on the 1st August about what is going to happen in getting a sample of the asteriod.They reckon that Bennu could hit the earth in 2160 as it orbits every six years close to the earth,so we have about 160 years left before it makes contact,it is a very interesting subject as it is being organised from Arizona University.

Awesome. Can you give us an update? Here's a new story I just found about it:
https://www.space.com/nasa-asteroid-ben ... tober-2020

Hi thats all I know at the moment,I know its going to quite tight to get a sample as most of Bennu is rock and boulders.They just have a small place to get the sample and are going to Vacum the dirt up a nozzle to a collection point.Then they will send the sample back to the earth and the Ambassador program is being finished the end of this month,so I will not receive any more updates.
Thanks
Andy