12:30pm EST., Friday February 14th

Presenting Live via Zoom

Title: To Bennu and Back

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer spacecraft, or OSIRIS-REx, launched Sept. 8, 2016. OSIRIS-REx traveled to the potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid named Bennu. The spacecraft spent two years studying Bennu and operating in close proximity, culminating in the daring sample collection event known as Touch-and-Go, or TAG, on October 20, 2020. The spacecraft backed away safely and later left Bennu for the return trip to Earth. OSIRIS-REx delivered the sample on Sept. 24, 2023, when the sample return capsule parachuted safely to the ground in Utah.
Although the mission was a stunning success, that outcome was far from certain. The OSIRIS-REx team had to overcome challenges and surprises every step of the way. For example, the entire operational timeline and TAG method had to change when it became evident that Bennu’s entire surface was covered in boulders and rocks, a far cry from the predicted sandy beach. The team also discovered Bennu is an active asteroid, streaming dust and particles into space. Following TAG, the team discovered that precious sample particles were leaking into space, and time was of the essence to stow the cargo. As the Mission Operations Manager, Andy Calloway found himself in the middle of it all, and in To Bennu and Back, he describes how the team rose to every challenge to return the largest sample from a planetary body home since the Apollo era.

Andy Calloway has thirty years of experience in space mission operations. His most recent flight project was as Mission Operations Manager of OSIRIS-REx from April 2016 through proximity operations at asteroid Bennu, culminating in sample collection and stow in October 2020. Andy's current project is Flight Operations Manager for Dragonfly, which launches in July 2028. He also supports Europa Clipper instrument teams part-time. Andy has contributed to numerous missions, including MESSENGER, New Horizons, and TRMM. He is a member of the Principal Professional Staff at JHU/APL.