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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Bennu Candidate Sample Site: Sandpiper

Bennu Candidate Sample Site: Sandpiper
Bennu Candidate Sample Site: Sandpiper Site Sandpiper is located on asteroid Bennu at 322° E and -47° N. It is in asteroid Bennu’s southern hemisphere, on the southeast floor of a large crater with a radius of 31.5 meters. The site itself is a relatively flat area with a 5 meter radius. Sandpiper is surrounded by steep slopes and large boulders that are scattered throughout the area. There are 2 smaller, relatively young craters near Sandpiper that may have ejected fresher material into Sandpiper’s sampling region. Sandpiper has the second highest albedo variation among the possible sample collection sites. Hydrated minerals are also present, which suggests that Sandpiper may contain potentially unmodified carbon-rich material. This image was taken by OSIRIS REx's OCAMS (PolyCam) instrument on 21 March 2019. NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona