Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Bennu Candidate Sample Site: Kingfisher

Bennu Candidate Sample Site: Kingfisher
Bennu Candidate Sample Site: Kingfisher Site Kingfisher is located on asteroid Bennu at 56° E and 11° N. It is a small crater that has a radius of 4 meters. Kingfisher is surrounded by boulders, but the site itself, with a radius of 5 meters, is free of large rocks. Given Kingfisher’s geographical position on Bennu’s equatorial bulge, it is possible that the region contains material from both the northern and southern hemispheres. This site is particularly interesting because of its location in a small crater, which means it may be a relatively young feature compared to Bennu’s larger craters (such as the one in which Sandpiper is located). Younger craters generally hold fresher, minimally-altered material. Kingfisher has the strongest spectral signature for hydrated minerals among the four sites. This image was taken by OSIRIS REx's OCAMS (PolyCam) instrument on 21 March 2019. NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona