Question 1

True or false: The spacecraft briefly touched the asteroid Bennu with a robotic arm to collect dust and rocks.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2020, OSIRIS-REx performed a Touch-and-Go (TAG) maneuver, using its arm to stir up and grab surface material.

Question 2

True or false: OSIRIS-REx returned a sample from an asteroid that might contain the building blocks of life.

Accepted Answer

True. The sample from Bennu includes carbon-rich compounds and water-bearing minerals, offering clues to life's origins.

Question 3

True or false: The sample capsule landed in the Utah desert with a parachute failure that damaged some material.

Accepted Answer

False. The capsule landed safely in 2023 with its parachutes deployed correctly, and the sample was pristine inside.

Question 4

True or false: The spacecraft used a laser altimeter to map Bennu’s shape with centimeter precision.

Accepted Answer

True. OSIRIS-REx carried the OLA (OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter) instrument, creating highly detailed 3D maps of Bennu’s surface.

Question 5

True or false: OSIRIS-REx is now heading to a second asteroid to collect another sample before returning to Earth.

Accepted Answer

False. After dropping its sample capsule to Earth, the spacecraft renamed OSIRIS-APEX is heading to asteroid Apophis, but no second collection.

Question 6

True or false: OSIRIS-REx discovered that Bennu is hollow inside, like a cosmic sponge.

Accepted Answer

False. Bennu is a rubble pile with low density but not hollow; its interior has voids between loosely packed rocks.

Question 7

True or false: The mission was named after the Egyptian god of the underworld because Bennu is a dark, menacing asteroid.

Accepted Answer

False. OSIRIS-REx stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer—a backronym, not a god reference.

Question 8

True or false: Bennu’s surface turned out to be much harder and rockier than expected, complicating sample collection.

Accepted Answer

True. Scientists expected a sandy surface but found a rugged, boulder-strewn terrain, which made the TAG maneuver more challenging.

OSIRIS-REx Trivia Questions