All of these maps will be built on a 3-D shape model of Bennu. The team is already using a preliminary shape model, produced from radar observations of the asteroid.

OLA is expected to thoroughly map Bennu with about 6 billion measurements of the asteroid's surface, which measures about one-third of a mile (one-half kilometer) in diameter.

When NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission spacecraft arrived at the asteroid Bennu, it discovered more rocks and boulders than envisioned. Mapping all these potential hazards was necessary to select a ...

With OSIRIS-REx in close orbit around Bennu, we’ve already seen some pretty amazing up-close shots of the asteroid. And now, NASA has released a full global map of this rocky little world in ...

OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will launch September 2016 and travel to a near-Earth asteroid known as Bennu to harvest a sample of surface maNASA to Map the Surface of an Asteroid NASA’s […] ...

From a distance, the asteroid Bennu looks like a thousand-foot-wide spinning top floating through space. But scientists now have a close-up view thanks to NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which is ...

Bennu's boulders Over the last two years, OSIRIS-REx has collected enough images of Bennu to map the asteroid's surface. Variations in the color and albedo (brightness) provide insights into the ...

Exploring mysteries of Asteroid Bennu Date: January 29, 2025 Source: DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Summary: Scientists found that asteroid Bennu contained a set of salty mineral ...

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft made an astonishing discovery about the asteroid it has been orbiting since December: the rock is actively spewing material out into space. The asteroid, named Bennu ...

Before NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft can reach out and grab a piece of asteroid Bennu, it needs to find a safe spot on the space rock's surface. And for that, NASA wants your help. Osiris-Rex ...

OLA is expected to thoroughly map Bennu with about 6 billion measurements of the asteroid’s surface, which measures about one-third of a mile (one-half kilometer) in diameter.