Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2019 December 23

         IFRAME: [2]https://www.youtube.com/embed/pvKEG141GmU?rel=0

                Places for OSIRIS-REx to Touch Asteroid Bennu
    Video Credit: [3]NASA, [4]GSFC, [5]U. Arizona, [6]SVS, [7]OSIRIS-REx

   Explanation: Where is the best place to collect a surface sample from
   asteroid Bennu? [8]Launched in 2016, NASA sent the robotic [9]Origins,
   Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith
   Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) to investigate the 500-meter-across asteroid
   [10]101955 Bennu. After mapping the near-Earth asteroid's dark surface,
   OSIRIS-REx will next touch [11]Bennu's surface in 2020 August to
   collect a surface sample. The [12]featured 23-second time-lapse video
   shows four candidate locations for the touch, from which [13]NASA chose
   just one earlier this month. NASA chose the Nightingale near Bennu's
   northern hemisphere as the primary touch-down spot because of its
   relative flatness, lack of [14]boulders, and apparent abundance of
   fine-grained sand. Location Osprey is the backup. NASA plans to
   [15]return soil samples for [16]Bennu to Earth in 2023 for a detailed
   analysis.

     Free Presentation: [17]APOD Editor to show best astronomy images of
                2019 -- and the decade -- in NYC on January 3
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

      [18]< | [19]Archive | [20]Submissions | [21]Index | [22]Search |
   [23]Calendar | [24]RSS | [25]Education | [26]About APOD | [27]Discuss |
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     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [29]Robert Nemiroff ([30]MTU) & [31]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([32]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [33]Specific rights apply.
              [34]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [35]ASD at [36]NASA / [37]GSFC
                           & [38]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix2015.html
   2. https://www.youtube.com/embed/pvKEG141GmU?rel=0
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.nasa.gov/goddard
   5. https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/missions/osiris-rex
   6. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/
   7. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/osiris-rex/in-depth/
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161017.html
   9. https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex
  10. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/101955-bennu/overview/
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/101955_Bennu
  12. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4744
  13. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/x-marks-the-spot-nasa-selects-site-for-asteroid-sample-collection/
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190524.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181104.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181213.html
  17. http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=40052
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191222.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix2015.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  27. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=191223
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191224.html
  29. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  31. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  32. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  35. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  36. https://www.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  38. http://www.mtu.edu/