Asteroid Bennu

After two years circling asteroid Bennu, NASA's Osiris-Rex mission to touch down, collect samples

While NASA has brought back comet dust and solar wind particles, it’s never attempted to sample one of the nearly 1 million known asteroids lurking in our solar system until now.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft gets extra time to prepare for it long-awaited touchdown on asteroid Bennu

The spacecraft will attempt its first sample collection on 20 October and is equipped to do it three times if necessary.

Deadly asteroids headed for Earth are very difficult to detect — here's why

An asteroid exploded in the sky & crashed into the ocean a year ago — and we found out just recently.

NASA scientists are shocked by plumes seen erupting from surface of asteroid Bennu

Some of these particles circled Bennu like a satellite before returning to the asteroid’s surface.

NASA's plan to dig for dirt, gravel from asteroid Bennu isn't going very well

The Osiris-Rex spacecraft revealed the asteroid which is 70 million miles from Earth is covered with boulders.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission finds asteroid Bennu spinning faster and faster over time

Asteroid Bennu's rotation period is getting shorter by roughly one second every 100 years.

NASA OSIRIS-REx captures Earth, moon, asteroid Bennu in a single frame

The picture was taken days before the NASA probe zoomed in to the asteroid's orbit on New Year’s Eve.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx enters asteroid Bennu's orbit in milestone, record for the mission

After studying Bennu for a year, OSIRIS-REx will give it a 'gentle high-five' in 2020 for a sample.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx finds tiny asteroid Bennu rich in moisture, scattered with rocks

Scientists think Bennu is a leftover from the beginning of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe finds evidence of water on its target asteroid Bennu

We targeted Bennu precisely because we thought it had water-bearing minerals: OSIRIS-REx mission lead.