NASA’s asteroid probe is about to perform its riskiest move yet

[Mike Wehner]

• NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe will finally attempt its risky sample-gathering maneuver last next month.
• The spacecraft will perform a delicate "touch-and-go" maneuver to snag a sample from the surface and then return to a safe orbit.
• The sample will eventually be returned to Earth where scientists will study it.

It's been many months since NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at its target destination, the space rock known as Bennu. The asteroid is big, messy, and full of mystery, and the probe has spent a lot of time studying its surface and making various interesting discoveries.

It's been a successful adventure up to this point, but the spacecraft is about to try something that will put it in a serious amount of danger, and the success of the overall mission depends on it being able to pull it off. The "TAG" or "Touch-And-Go" sample collection maneuver will be the probe's chance to grab material from the asteroid's rocky surface, but it's the riskiest move the spacecraft will have made so far by a long shot.

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NASA’s asteroid probe is about to perform its riskiest move yet originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 25 Sep 2020 at 16:47:26 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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