OSIRIS-REx: Sample Science and the Geology of Active Asteroid Bennu

Harold Connolly, Rowan University

OSIRIS-REx, NASA’s New Frontiers 3 asteroid sample return mission, reached its target asteroid 101955 Bennu in December of 2018. Since its arrival, various remote sensing campaigns have been, and continue to be, conducted with a goal of finding an appropriate site on the asteroid’s surface to safely collect sample while documenting the geologic context of the collection site. In addition to site selection, spacecraft data has provided insight into the geologic and dynamical history of asteroid Bennu. Through the analysis of the returned sample, we will test many of the hypotheses posed for the history of Bennu based on data collected by the spacecraft. This talk will focus on specific highlights of the current findings of OSIRIS-REx and relate these to the future analysis of the returned sample.

Read more about Connolly's work on his faculty profile.