N. A. Porter

TL;DR: Maps of color and albedo on asteroid Bennu indicate complex evolution of its surface due to space weathering, and constrain Bennu's evolution and provide context for the sample collected in October 2020.

TL;DR: In this article, the presence of metre-scale exogenic boulders on the surface of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu has been reported, which provides previously unrecognized constraints on the collisional and dynamical evolution of the inner main belt.

TL;DR: Global spectral observations by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft have shown that carbon-bearing materials, including organics and/or carbonates, are widespread on the surface of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu.

TL;DR: In early 2019, NASA's OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) mission surveyed asteroid (101955) Bennu with a collection of instruments, including the OSCAMS (Ocean Camera Suite) PolyCam imager.

Abstract: . The principal objective of the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission is to retrieve a sample of the asteroid (101955) Bennu and return it to Earth. OSIRIS-REx arrived at Bennu in December 2018. Images of the asteroid by the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS) were photogrammetrically controlled to produce a global basemap and site-specific image mosaics essential to the selection of a primary and backup sample site, which were announced in December 2019. In the control process, OCAMS images were registered to shape models created from OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) data and from the process of stereophotoclinometry. This paper summarizes the photogrammetric control to date of images collected at Bennu. We briefly review the mission and the OCAMS imaging sensors. We then describe the photogrammetric control process for the global mapping campaign and targeted reconnaissance surveys of candidate sample sites. Finally, we discuss ongoing and future work.