Asteroid: Sample Collector

A view of the outside of the OSIRIS-REx sample collector. Sample material from asteroid Bennu can be seen on the middle right. Scientists have found evidence of both carbon and water in initial analysis of this material. The bulk of the sample is located inside.

The Smithsonian will be the first institution to display a Bennu sample to the public; it will be exhibited in the museum’s Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals meteorite gallery. In addition to the Bennu sample, museum visitors will also see scale models of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, on loan from Lockheed Martin, and the Atlas V 411 rocket that carried the spacecraft, on loan courtesy of United Launch Alliance. The display will also include a video highlighting interviews, animations and images from the mission.