TAG! You're it! In October 2020, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission snatched material from Nightingale crater on asteroid Bennu with a maneuver called the TAG (Touch-and-Go) sample collection. This clip shows a before and after comparison of the sampling site. The collection process, along with the spacecraft's thrusters, churned up soil and sent rocks flying. OSIRIS-REx captured the before image on March 7, 2019, and the after shot on April 7, 2021. (Vid: NASA/Goddard/The Planetary Society) | The Planet

When the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample of near-Earth asteroid Bennu, it revealed surprising details about Bennu’s loosely packed surface. The spacecraft’s arm sank almost half a metre into the asteroid, far deeper than expected, confirming that Bennu’s surface is incredibly weak. 🪨 During the event, OSIRIS-REx collected a handful of material and kicked up roughly six tons of loose rock. It will return its sample of Bennu to Earth in September 2023. Thanks to its contribution to the m