Exploring Asteroid Bennu Through Technology

It’s hard to imagine what the surface of a dark, distant asteroid might look like, but NASA’s “Tour of Asteroid Bennu” brings us on a journey to see this landscape up close. The video, which was released in October 2020, uses elevation data and high-resolution imagery from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to provide viewers with stunning 3D vistas of Bennu’s rugged terrain. On August 9 and 11, 2021, “Tour of Asteroid Bennu” will be featured in the SIGGRAPH awards electronic theater. Producer Dan Gallagher and data visualizer Kel Elkins discuss the making of the video, and how data-driven animation is enabling viewers to explore new worlds like Bennu.

Read more: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasas-tour-of-asteroid-bennu-selected-for-prestigious-computer-graphics-film-festival

Music: “Spindrift” by Max Cameron Concors; “Unearthing Dark Secrets” by Andrew Joseph Carpenter and Mark Richmond Phillips, via Universal Production Music

Data provided by: NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/Open University/MDA

Video credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio
Dan Gallagher (KBRwyle): Producer
Kel Elkins (USRA): Lead Visualizer
Rob Andreoli (AIMM): Videographer
Ernie Wright (USRA): Visualizer
Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET): Technical Support

This video can be freely shared and downloaded at https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13908. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13908. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines.

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