Researchers at the University of Arizona and beyond have spent decades studying what asteroids are made of, how they move, and how they impact the Earth. Now, for the first time in United States history, the OSIRIS-REx mission will return a pristine sample from the near-Earth asteroid, Bennu.

1. The OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission builds on a long
history of asteroid research at the University of Arizona.
The University of Arizona:
Provides the principal investigator who oversees the mission’s
Science Team
Built the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS)
Will host the Science Processing Operations Center (SPOC)
Runs the largest citizen science project for asteroid
characterization, Target Asteroids!
w w w . A s t e r o i d M i s s i o n . o r g
Fast fact:
Launch 2016
Rendezvous 2018
Sampling 2020
Return 2023
Fast fact:
333 employed
=$$$ to Arizona
economy over
14 years
The University of Arizona chose Bennu as the mission’s target.
Bennu is a near-Earth asteroid which has an orbit that brings it close
to Earth every 6 years.
Powerful telescopes have produced a shape model, but the OSIRIS-REx
mission to Bennu will provide details about its topography, composition,
and orbit.
Fast fact:
Asteroid Bennu
has a 500m diameter,
and is carbon-rich
Partners:
UA, Lockheed
Martin, NASA’s
Goddard Space
Flight Center, ASU,
CSA, JSC, KinetX,
and MIT.
Researchers at the University of Arizona:
Analyze meteorites and examine the connection between
meteorites and asteroids
Developed asteroid classification nomenclature
Have surveyed over 62,000 square degrees and detected
over 196,900 asteroids.
The University of Arizona has discovered over 50% of
near-Earth objects.
Fast fact:
Catalina Sky Survey
is the most successful
Earth-based asteroid survey
in the world
Fast fact:
Target Asteroids!
works with over 200
citizen scientists to
collect data on
asteroids
University of Arizona researchers:
Developed the first method to estimate ages of planetary
surfaces using craters
Pursued the idea that a Mars-sized impactor created the Moon
Identified the Chicxulub crater in the Yucatan as ground-zero
for the dinosaur extinction event
Studied the collisional and dynamical evolution of asteroids.
Fast fact:
The K-T impactor struck
65 million years ago,
causing mass extinction.
Bennu may impact in
late 22nd century
A S T E R O I D I M P A C T S
O S I R I S - R E x
A S T E R O I D S C I E N C E
ASTEROID CHARACTERIZATION
A R I Z O N A
T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F
ASTE ROIDS
K N O W S