Free Astronomy Magazine January-February 2021

OSIRIS-REx set to return a feather from Bennu T he asteroid 101955 Bennu is both a window into the early history of our solar system and a potential risk to our civiliza- tion, making the multiple successes of the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identifica- tion, Security, Regolith Explorer) mission important within and far beyond the scientific community. This mission has dramatically im- proved our understanding – and by Damian G. Allis NASA Solar System Ambassador 10 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021 ASTRO PUBLISHING view – of this large asteroid as high- resolution cameras and detectors were trained on the Bennu surface for the discovery of a most-ideal sample collection site. In terms of both history and possi- ble calamity, it is easy to intertwine the science of the OSIRIS-REx mis- sion to Bennu with the mythology surrounding the ancient Egyptian deities bearing (nearly) the same names. Some of the many aspects