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LPL Spotlight Stories

OSIRIS-REx Successfully Touches Asteroid Bennu in Sample Grab

Ten years after NASA selected LPL to lead the OSIRIS-REx mission, the spacecraft successfully completed its most treacherous and rewarding task: sample collection.

What Touching an Asteroid Can Teach Us

NASA will make history on Oct. 20 by attempting its first-ever sample collection maneuver at an asteroid. LPL professor Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for the OSIRIS-REx mission, discusses the significance of the mission for science and society.

Why Scooping a Sample from an Asteroid is Harder than it Looks

Here's what will happen on Oct. 20, when NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will descend to asteroid Bennu and pick up a sample of pristine material left over from the formation of our solar system.

An Asteroid of a Different Color … and Other Secrets of Bennu Unlocked

The LPL-led OSIRIS-REx mission is gearing up for its first attempt to collect a sample from asteroid Bennu this month. But before even touching the surface, scientists are learning more than ever about the material that makes up the asteroid.

25 Days of 'O-REx'

There are T minus 25 days until the LPL-led NASA OSIRIS-REx mission attempts to collect its first-ever asteroid sample. Here are facts for each day of the countdown.

OSIRIS-REx Begins its Countdown to TAG

On Oct. 20, the LPL-led OSIRIS-REx mission will make its first sample collection attempt. Because of the communication delay, the spacecraft must pilot itself to the surface while avoiding hazardous boulders before backing away safely with the sample.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx to Asteroid Bennu: 'You've Got a Little Vesta on You...'

Bits of the asteroid Vesta found on Bennu highlight the variety of asteroids in the solar system.

Jupiter's Moons Could be Warming Each Other

The gravitational push and pull by Jupiter's moons could account for more warming than the gas giant Jupiter alone.

Where Rocks Come Alive: OSIRIS-REx Observes an Asteroid in Action

While studying asteroid Bennu up close, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft witnessed periodic outbursts of material being kicked up from the surface. A dedicated observation campaign revealed details of the activity and the processes likely causing it.

Drs. Ali Bramson and Michael Sori will be Assistant Professors at Purdue University!

Dr. Michael Sori and Dr. Ali Bramson are Postdocs in the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at UArizona. Both accepted positions as Assistant Professors in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University.