OSIRIS-REx: NASA’s Asteroid Sample Return Mission Target: Carbonaceous Asteroid 101955 Bennu

In this talk, I will present the scientific goals of the OSIRIS-REx mission, and discuss the current plans for achieving those goals.  Of particular interest are the decision factors for the selection of a sampling site, and the measurements that feed into the decision factors.  Our sampling site will need to be boulder-free, show evidence of regolith, and be approachable safely by the spacecraft.  In addition, the scientific value of the sample is important.  Specifically, we will need to understand the thermal history, the chemical composition, the mineralogy, and the geological context of potential sampling sites in order to select the best possible sampling location.  Our target asteroid, 101955 Bennu, is a very dark rock, spectrally similar to the most primitive carbonaceous meteorites.  Given the uncertainties in the interpretation of ground-based observations of Bennu, what are the best quick analysis methods of the data from our instrument suite?