How lasers will map asteroid Bennu

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NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, will launch next month and travel to asteroid Bennu to harvest a sample for analysis. 

In order for the team to select a sample site, they need more detail of Bennu’s topography.

Enter the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter, or OLA.

This robotic cartographer will be used to create three-dimensional global topographic maps of the asteroid and sample site candidates.

Check out the video below for more information on this sophisticated technology from the Canadian Space Agency. 

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