Meet Bennu

Meanwhile, they're going to land.

www.nasa.gov

OSIRIS-REx Engineers Pull Off a Daring Rescue of a Monumental Asteroid Mission - NASA

On Friday, Oct. 11, the OSIRIS-REx team should have been preparing to point their spacecraft cameras precisely over the asteroid Bennu to capture
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov

NASA will announce the primary sample site, as well as a backup, on Dec. 12. Two final reconnaissance flyovers at even lower altitudes beginning in January will allow the OSIRIS-REx team to collect final, detailed images of these sites.

So B-Day will be announced later today

Keep them peeled !
 
A week to go before the first of two dummy runs to the surface.

www.asteroidmission.org

Rehearsal Time for NASA’s Asteroid Sampling Spacecraft - OSIRIS-REx Mission

In August, a robotic spacecraft will make NASA’s first-ever attempt to descend to the surface of an asteroid, collect a sample, and ultimately bring it safely back to Earth. In order to achieve this challenging feat, the OSIRIS-REx mission team devised new techniques to operate in asteroid...
www.asteroidmission.org www.asteroidmission.org
 
A detailed description of Bennu's composition

www.pnas.org

News Feature: Diamonds in the rubble

Two ancient asteroids with distinctive diamond-like shapes are revealing clues not only about their own formation, but that of the solar system as well. For the past three years, two spacecraft have been studying a pair of the most primitive solar system objects ever explored. The asteroids...
www.pnas.org www.pnas.org
 
Dummy (TAG) runs now scheduled for late August

www.asteroidmission.org

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Ready for Touchdown on Asteroid Bennu - OSIRIS-REx Mission

NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission is officially prepared for its long-awaited touchdown on asteroid Bennu’s surface. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission has targeted Oct. 20 for its first sample collection...
www.asteroidmission.org www.asteroidmission.org
 
A bit more info, and pictures

www.npr.org

A NASA Probe Is So Full of Asteroid Material That It Now Has A Problem

A NASA spacecraft sent out to collect rocks from an asteroid seems to have nabbed a lot of material, but there's now an unexpected problem — a flap isn't closing because some rocks are stuck.
www.npr.org www.npr.org

So, not only has mankind dumped fridge sized objects onto other worlds, then stolen somebody elses topsoil, we are now discarding it into space, possibly in violation of current treaties, though this would have to be verified with the appropriate Okudagram.

Very messy.

 
Door shut, no need to tear up another neighbourhood.

www.nasa.gov

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Successfully Stows Sample of Asteroid Bennu - NASA

NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission has successfully stowed the spacecraft’s
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov

Another five months before Osiris can leave for home with the plunder.
 
Probably been shown before, but PBS America on UK SKY (/Freesat etc.?) on Astra 2F, 11334/V/27500 5/6, currently showing "Touching the Asteroid" about missions to Bennu, and the history behind it.

Edited: also repeating several times later today.
 
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PBS +1 (FreeView 87) as well, not sure why it is not on the BST channel 84 (or indeed any programme until 1pm).

Oddly PBS+1 is not on the Astra 2 position
 
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