NASA confirms sample collection site on asteroid Bennu

NASA scientists behind The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-Rex) mission have finally selected a sample collection site on the asteroid Bennu's boulder-scattered surface.

In a press statement, the American space agency noted a site designated Nightingale -- located in a crater high in Bennu's northern hemisphere -- as the best spot for the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to snag its sample.

Over the last few months, the OSIRIS-REx team has been evaluating close-range data from four candidate sites to identify the best option for asteroid sample collection.

These sites, dubbed Sandpiper, Osprey, Kingfisher, and Nightingale, were chosen for investigation since they posed the fewest hazards to the spacecraft's safety while also providing the opportunity for great samples to be gathered.

After thoroughly evaluating all four candidate sites, we made our final decision based on which site has the greatest amount of fine-grained material, ..