OSIRIS-REx's Nightingale Crater: A Gateway to Asteroid Bennu's Secrets

This remarkable image showcases Nightingale Crater, the carefully chosen primary sample collection site for NASA's monumental OSIRIS-REx mission. This ambitious endeavor marked a significant milestone as the first U.S. mission to successfully collect a sample from an asteroid.

After its incredible journey, OSIRIS-REx triumphantly returned to Earth on September 24, 2023. The mission delivered a precious capsule containing pristine material gathered from the surface of asteroid Bennu, offering scientists an unprecedented opportunity to study extraterrestrial geology and the building blocks of our solar system.

The return of this sample is expected to unlock a wealth of knowledge about the early solar system and the potential for life beyond Earth. The mission's success paves the way for future asteroid sample return missions and our continued exploration of the cosmos.