Intensely Exciting Imagery Arrives From 200 Million Miles Out

Captured on Oct. 20, 2020 during the OSIRIS-REx mission’s Touch-And-Go (TAG) sample collection event, a series of stunning images now shows the SamCam imager’s field of view as the NASA spacecraft approaches and touches down on asteroid Bennu’s surface, over 200 million miles away from Earth. The sampling event brought the spacecraft all the way down to sample site Nightingale, touching down within three feet of the targeted location. The team on Earth received confirmation at 6:08 p.m. EDT that successful touchdown occurred. Preliminary data show the one-foot-wide sampling head touched Bennu’s surface for approximately 6 seconds, after which the spacecraft perfo