After a two year journey, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft has made a close approach to the asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft will eventually land on the surface and collect rock samples and then return to Earth.
Over the next few days, researchers at the University of Colorado will begin to map the asteroid's gravitational field and estimate its mass.
The mission is hoping to learn more about the make-up of Bennu with the goal of using the data to determine how Bennu's orbit might evolve over time. Bennu is a close Earth asteroid that has the potential to crash into our planet during the next century