1. Answer the following:
a) cost of the mission
b) date the mission launched from earth
c) date the OSIRIS-REx probe reached the asteroid Bennu
d) length of time the probe spent orbiting the asteroid before making contact
e) what did the OSIRIS-REx do between arriving at the asteroid and making contact to collect samples
f) distance of the asteroid Bennu from earth
g) size of the space probe OSIRIS-REx

2. Why was there over an 18 minute delay between what the probe was doing and the control center receiving that information?

3. What makes the actual touch down of the probe on the asteroid such an astounding feat? Be specific.

4. What does NASA say are benefits of the program to reach the asteroid and collect samples? (see para. 14, 20)

5. What 2-3 words would you use to describe the scientists/researchers working on this project?

6. CNBC also noted in the aricle:

Ahead of the touchdown, Lauretta said that the OSIRIS-REx team created “a very detailed map of the asteroid” to find the right target spot. The spacecraft didn’t technically land on the asteroid, Vogel explained, for a number of reasons. Primarily, Vogel said that Bennu has its own micro-gravity environments, so “any sort of force can greatly perturb the asteroid’s orbit” and make it “really tricky” to control the spacecraft. That’s why the teams created the “touch-and-go-maneuver,” so the spacecraft would only gently touch the asteroid before backing away.

To make that possible, Lockheed Martin and NASA developed a technology called natural feature tracking. It’s a precise autonomous guidance system that directs the spacecraft down to a planetary surface.

“We’re the first mission to use this,” Lauretta said.

What is your reaction to this?