On December 31, 2018, OSIRIS-REx completed its Preliminary Survey of asteroid Bennu and entered into orbit. Bennu measures only half a kilometer in diameter, making it the smallest world ever to be orbited by a spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx will spend the Orbital A phase learning to navigate in Bennu’s low gravity, which must be balanced against other small forces acting on the spacecraft (like solar radiation pressure), and it will transition from stellar navigation to landmark-based navigation. When OSIRIS-REx completes the Orbital A phase in March 2019, it will begin its Detailed Survey of Bennu. Full resolution file available at: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13123
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NASA ID
GSFC_20181231_M13123_Bennu_Orbit_Insertion
Date Created
December 31, 2018
Center
GSFC
Media Type
video
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