麻豆原创 has been invited to an exclusive party with NASA and you鈥檙e 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. It鈥檚 the first time America is attempting this kind of mission.
Two 麻豆原创 professors are part of the mission鈥檚 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 spacecraft鈥檚 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, 麻豆原创鈥檚 social media manager, will give the 麻豆原创 community this rare opportunity. She鈥檒l see the spacecraft at in Colorado.
De Witt also will have access to Lockheed Martin鈥檚 聽鈥漚steroid wall鈥� and the mission-control room where the flight will be directed. The wall is a聽50′ x 50′聽space that provides more than 3 feet of聽topographic聽relief聽and聽is painted to聽match the low reflectivity of a common carbonaceous asteroid.
麻豆原创 will tweet from noon to 6 p.m. providing followers exclusive information and photos.
鈥淚鈥檓 no space geek, but it is pretty exciting to be able to have an exclusive look at such a historic mission,鈥� De Witt said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to bring the content to our users.鈥�
Tune in Friday on Twitter @麻豆原创.