MSGID: 1:153/757.0 7af77295   
   TZUTC: -0700   
   CHRS: LATIN-1 2   
                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                 2023 September 21   
      
                                   Tagging Bennu   
          Image Credit: OSIRIS-REx, University of Arizona, NASA, Goddard   
                          Scientific Visualization Studio   
      
      Explanation: The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft's arm reached out and touched   
      asteroid 101955 Bennu on October 20, 2020, after a careful approach to   
      the small, near-Earth asteroid's boulder-strewn surface. Dubbed a   
      Touch-And-Go (TAG) sampling event, the 30 centimeter wide sampling head   
      (TAGSAM) appears to crush some of the rocks in this close-up recorded   
      by the spacecraft's SamCam. The image was snapped just after surface   
      contact some 321 million kilometers from planet Earth. One second   
      later, the spacecraft fired nitrogen gas from a bottle intended to blow   
      a substantial amount of Bennu's regolith into the sampling head,   
      collecting the loose surface material. And now, nearly three years   
      later, on Sunday, September 24, that sample of asteroid Bennu is   
      scheduled to arrive on planet Earth. The sample return capsule will be   
      dropped off by the OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft as it makes a close flyby of   
      Earth. Twenty minutes after the drop-off, the spacecraft will fire its   
      thrusters to divert past Earth and continue on to orbit near-Earth   
      asteroid 99942 Apophis.   
      
                   Tomorrow's picture: reflections of the cosmos   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
                   NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices   
                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6   
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/123 15/0 90/1 105/81 106/201 123/131 129/305 134/100 153/135   
   SEEN-BY: 153/143 757 802 6809 7715 218/700 840 221/1 6 226/30 227/114   
   SEEN-BY: 229/110 112 113 206 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 240/1120   
   SEEN-BY: 266/512 282/1038 291/111 301/1 113 812 305/3 317/3 320/219   
   SEEN-BY: 322/757 335/364 341/66 342/200 396/45 460/58 256 1124 633/280   
   SEEN-BY: 712/848 5020/400 1042 5054/30 5075/35   
   PATH: 153/757 221/6 301/1 460/58 229/426