Introduction
This page showcases our resources for those interested in learning more about OSIRIS-REx. It includes activities that can be done at home as well as videos, animations, stories, and articles.
On this page:
Highlights
Videos & Animations
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Explore this series of 22 short videos to learn about asteroid science.
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Join #NASAatHome and explore what it means when we say an asteroid will make a close approach to Earth. If you want to do the activity at home, gather a ball the size of a basketball, a ball the size of a tennis ball, and a grain of salt.
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An inside look into how an elite athlete and a NASA engineer prepare for the challenges ahead.
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Discover NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu and what we can learn about the formation of the solar system from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s close encounter with Bennu.
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Explore this gallery for videos and animations of the OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu.
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Learn about the process for selecting the primary and backup sample collection sites for the OSIRIS-REx mission.
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Learn how NASA finds, tracks, and monitors near-Earth objects, those asteroids or comets that could come near our home planet.
Activities
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Down to the Core
Design, build, and test a device that can take a core sample from a potato “asteroid,” “moon,” or “planet.” This activity uses a potato as the asteroid, but any object with a similar makeup/consistency can be used; you can also use different types of chocolate candies to drill into.Note: This activity is about drilling into an asteroid to collect a sample, unlike the OSIRIS-REx mission which will “TAG” the surface to collect its sample.
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OSIRIS-REx Paper Spacecraft Model
Make your very own paper model of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft!
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#MyOSIRISREx Pocket Spacecraft
While the real OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is working to bring a sample of asteroid Bennu to Earth, you can take your own pocket spacecraft for an adventure right here at home. Snap a photo of your spacecraft TAG-ing something interesting where you live. Then share it by using the hashtag #MyOSIRISREx and tagging the mission account on Twitter (@OSIRISREx) or Instagram (@OSIRIS_REx).
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Make Your Own Asteroid
Create your own unique asteroid using a few simple materials.
Stories
TAG
On October 20, 2020, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully touched the surface of the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and collected an abundant sample of the asteroid during the Touch-and-Go (TAG) sample collection event. The sampling event brought the spacecraft all the way down to sample site Nightingale, touching down within three feet (one meter) of the targeted location.
The process of actually selecting the sample site presented numerous challenges for scientists since Bennu is covered with large boulders.
Ever played the game of tag? Well, this is similar to how OSIRIS-REx was designed to grab a sample from Bennu!
Familiarize yourself with the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and its Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) by constructing your very own paper spacecraft model.
Articles
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Learn how the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully stowed its Sample Return Capsule (SRC) and its abundant sample of asteroid Bennu.
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Discover the incredible images taken by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on October 20, 2020, during the mission’s Touch-And-Go (TAG) sample collection event.
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Learn how scientists used Natural Feature Tracking (NFT) to guide the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to a “Bullseye TAG” of asteroid Bennu.
Graphics
Return to Earth
On May 10, 2021, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will say farewell to asteroid Bennu and begin its journey back to Earth. However, before departing for Earth on May 10, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will perform a final flyby of Bennu – capturing its last images of sample collection site Nightingale to look for transformations on Bennu’s surface after the October 20, 2020, sample collection event.
During sample collection, the spacecraft captured a substantial amount of material from Bennu’s surface, likely exceeding the mission’s requirement of 2 ounces (60 grams). The spacecraft is scheduled to deliver the sample to Earth on September 24, 2023.
Articles
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The OSIRIS-REx mission team completed a detailed safety analysis of a trajectory to observe sample site Nightingale from a distance of approximately 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometers). The spacecraft’s flight path is designed to keep OSIRIS-REx a safe distance from Bennu while ensuring the science instruments can collect precise observations.
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Learn more about the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s planned journey back to Earth.
Other Resources
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The Asteroid Watch Widget tracks asteroids and comets that will make relatively close approaches to Earth. The Widget displays the date of closest approach, approximate object diameter, relative size, and distance from Earth for each encounter.
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Ever wondered where an asteroid, comet, or other small-body is located in our solar system? Look no further than this resource which allows you to type in the name of an object, and all the details you’d ever want to know about it will pop up (including an orbit diagram so that you can see where the object is relative to Earth)!
Note: This resource is for older kids and/or curious adults.
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Explore this gallery of images of asteroid Bennu taken by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.
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Celebrate the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s successful collection of a sample of near-Earth asteroid Bennu with this commemorative poster.
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NASA’s Solar System Treks
The Solar System Treks are online, browser-based portals that allow you to visualize, explore, and analyze the surfaces of other worlds using real data returned from a growing fleet of spacecraft. You can view the worlds through the eyes of many different instruments, pilot real-time 3D flyovers above mountains and into craters, and conduct measurements of surface features.