NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft briefly touched down on a large asteroid Tuesday to swipe some rocks and dust from its surface to be returned to Earth for study. The event marks a major first for NASA and a potential boon for science, space exploration and our understanding of the solar system. The touch-and-go, or TAG, sample collection of asteroid 101955 Bennu was deemed a success at around 3:12 p.m. PT. Bennu is what's called a "rubble pile" asteroid, meaning it was formed in the deep cosmic past when gravity slowly forced together remnants of an ancient collision. The result is a body shaped something like a spinning top with a diameter of around a third of a mile (500 meters) and a surface strewn with large rocks and boulders.
The touch-and-go sampling procedure is a complex, high-stakes task that's been building to a key climactic moment for years. If it succeeds, it will play a role in history and our future in space. The basic plan is that Osiris-Rex will touch down on Bennu at a rocky landing site dubbed Nightingale. The van-size spacecraft will need to negotiate building-size boulders around the landing area to touch down on a relatively clear space that's only as large as a few parking spaces. However, a robotic sampling arm will be the only part of Osiris-Rex to actually set down on the surface. One of three pressurized nitrogen canisters will fire to stir up a sample of dust and small rocks that can then be caught in the arm's collector head for safe keeping and return to Earth.
Credits:
https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-just-landed-on-asteroid-bennu-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-mission/
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