ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has been invited to an exclusive party with NASA and youβre invited to follow along via Twitter on Friday, April 29.
NASA is in its final preparation stages of the OSIRIS-REx mission, which is expected to launch in September from the Kennedy Space Center. On Friday, 25 social media managers from across the nation are getting a first look at the spacecraft that will go to an asteroid, tap its surface and collect a sample of alien material before bringing it back home to Earth. Itβs the first time America is attempting this kind of mission.
Two ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ professors are part of the missionβs imaging team. Pegasus Professor Humberto Campins and associate professor Yan Fernandez will help obtain and analyze maps of the surface of asteroid Bennu using the spacecraftβs onboard cameras. The University of Arizona is the lead institution and has assembled a team of national experts to assist. The maps will provide information about the topography and the physical and chemical characteristics of the surface of Bennu. This will help select the “TAG” (Touch and Go) site for sampling, and will also provide interesting scientific results about Bennu and other related asteroids.
Jennifer De Witt, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs social media manager, will give the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ community this rare opportunity. Sheβll see the spacecraft at in Colorado.
De Witt also will have access to Lockheed Martinβs Β βasteroid wallβ and the mission-control room where the flight will be directed. The wall is aΒ 50′ x 50′Β space that provides more than 3 feet ofΒ topographicΒ reliefΒ andΒ is painted toΒ match the low reflectivity of a common carbonaceous asteroid.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ will tweet from noon to 6 p.m. providing followers exclusive information and photos.
βIβm no space geek, but it is pretty exciting to be able to have an exclusive look at such a historic mission,β De Witt said. βI canβt wait to bring the content to our users.β
Tune in Friday on Twitter @ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½.