NASA has finally selected a sample collection site on asteroid Bennu after the arrival of OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in December 2018. The OSIRIS-Rex mission team has selected the site designated Nightingale, which is located in a crater high in Bennu’s northern hemisphere. The team has also selected site Osprey of Bennu as a backup sample collection site.
Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2019
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft mapped the entire asteroid in order to identify the safest and most accessible spots for the spacecraft to collect a sample so far. Site Nightingale is located in a northern crater 460 feet wide of the asteroid. As the site is located so far north, the temperatures in the region are lower than elsewhere on the asteroid and the surface material is well-preserved.
