Floating, Five Miles Above The Bed's Sheets -- The Surface Of... Bennu: Osiris Rex

A sincere thanks, to our anonymous commenter -- she is right that this one is worthy of mention. [And that is a high res animation of lil' Bennu's gorgeously odd-ball. . . surface, at right.]

We did point to it (on launch), in September of 2016 -- and intended to cover it today, since today is the first day of regular ops around the diamond shaped object it will call home for the next year.

Here is a bit, from CNN -- and do see the video below the quote, for a mission overview, from NASA:

. . . .On Tuesday, the spacecraft will fly within five miles of Bennu, which will help design future orbits and map the surface.

Over the next year, OSIRIS-REx will survey the asteroid using five scientific instruments on board the spacecraft. These instruments will help it determine a safe location from which to collect a small sample from Bennu's surface that will be returned to Earth in September 2023. . . .

She does indeed travel, with unwasted grace, through starry skies, one ray the less -- one small twist of fate, nonetheless. . . the darker shade of beauty, revealed. Smile -- she will hand back to NASA, just a bit of Bennu's surface -- at about the same time Martin Shkreli is walking out the prison gates, of FCI Fort Dix, NJ (2023). Here is the mission overview:



नमस्ते