Astronomy Picture of the Day——OSIRIS-REx探测器与贝努小行星的接触点

Places for OSIRIS-REx to Touch Asteroid Bennu 
Credit: NASA, GSFC, U. Arizona, SVS, OSIRIS-REx

Explanation: Where is the best place to collect a surface sample from asteroid Bennu? Launched in 2016, NASA sent the robotic Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) to investigate the 500-meter-across asteroid 101955 Bennu. After mapping the near-Earth asteroid's dark surface, OSIRIS-REx will next touch Bennu's surface in 2020 August to collect a surface sample. The featured 23-second time-lapse video shows four candidate locations for the touch, from which 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 boulders, and apparent abundance of fine-grained sand. Location Osprey is the backup. NASA plans to return soil samples for Bennu to Earth in 2023 for a detailed analysis.

OSIRIS-REx探测器与贝努小行星的接触点

哪里才是采集贝努小行星表面样本的最佳采集点呢？NASA在2016年发射了OSIRIS-REx探测器，用来探索直径500米的贝努小行星101955。在测绘这颗近地小行星的黑暗表面之后，OSIRIS-REx探测器将于2020年8月再次接触贝努小行星表面，并采集样本。图片呈现了四个候选采样点，而NASA在本月初已选定了其中一个。NASA选择了贝努小行星北半球附近的夜莺区作为采样点，因为这片区域相对平坦且没有岩石，而且表面布满细沙。备选点则是鱼鹰区。NASA计划在2023年将贝努小行星的土壤样本带回地球，并进行详细分析。

高清原图地址：

https://www.youtube.com/embed/pvKEG141GmU?rel=0

近期文章：

Astronomy Picture of the Day——土星的卫星们

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NASA

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