What a Blast!

Osiris-Rex makes contact with the asteroid Bennu in this sequence of images from the spacecraft. During the brief touchdown, on October 20, the craft fired a blast of compressed gas that stirred up dust and pebbles. A small bag on the craft's robotic arm (which fired the gas) then attempted to capture some of the material for return to Earth. It will take a few days to evaluate how much material was collected. If it's not enough, the craft will try again in January. This sequence covers about five minutes. It begins at an altitude of about 82 feet, shows contact, and ends at an altitude of 43 feet as Osiris-Rex backs away from the asteroid. It touched the surface for five or six seconds, according to NASA. [NASA/GSFC/University of Arizona]