22 September 2017
OSIRIS-REx makes closest Earth approach today
... of Bennu’s surface material. This will be done with TAGSAM; the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism – a robotic arm with an attached sampler head. The collected sample of Bennu’s surface is expected to return to Earth in 2023. The spacecraft...
09 September 2016
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on its way to study Bennu after successful launch Thursday
... plan, OSIRIS-REx will study Bennu for two years and then make brief contact with its surface to collect samples. The spacecraft is equipped with TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism), which uses nitrogen gas puffs to lightly disturb the...
