This was the first time NASA had sampled from an asteroid and collected. The OSIRIIS-RX mission means Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer.
Beyond its landmark touchdown, plenty of information and surprises about the planet have been revealed since it was launched in 2016 by the OSIRIIRIS-Rex mission and reached Bennu in 2018.
This research is one of the latest in a series of studies using images from the suite of cameras on spacecraft.
Bennu was once part of the parent body of a large asteroid in the main planetary belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, scientists believe. When this giant asteroid collided with another object, Bennu broke up and became its own planet. After that, it migrated into orbit close to Earth.
Bennu is about the height of the Empire State Building. Furthermore, asteroids are likely to affect Earth by the end of the next century. Currently, it is about 200 million miles from Earth.
But scientists were not sure when it would come into space close to Earth. They analyzed images of Bennu showing diverse crates on the planet’s surface.
Studying the size and depth of these craters helped researchers understand when frustrations form, and where the effects of craters in Saurashtra are.
Large craters up to 16 feet towards the spot on the rocks of the asteroid, probably formed when the asteroid was still on the asteroid belt. Similarly, craters smaller than 19.6 inches are the result of recent exposures by micrometrics during asteroid time in space close to Earth.
Researchers used the size and age of craters to create a timeline and determined that Bennu reached its current orbit 11 … 1 million years ago.
“The history of one planet is largely determined by its power against collisions with other objects,” the authors wrote in the study.
“The age of our origin of Bennu’s rocks is significantly shorter than the expected total lifespan of this asteroid after the catastrophic disruption of its parents. As the source region of (asteroids closest to Earth) is the belt of the main planet, Bennu spent most of its lifespan in one of its current orbits. . “
Full of surprises
There are over a million known asteroids in the Solar System, but Bennu had the right size, location, and design when it came to determining where OSIRIS-Rex would be sent.
And after a few years of orbiting and imaging asteroids, the mission team may not be happy with their choice.
That doesn’t mean that Bennu didn’t present challenges along the way, but those challenges will also shed a lot of light on asteroids.
Scientists expected that Bennu would have a sandy beach-like surface embedded in fine grain material that would be easier to sample. But when the spacecraft reached Bennu in 2018, researchers saw the size of buildings on the surface, rocks like mountains. In fact, there were very few places that were not covered in boulders.
Those rocks became very porous and fragile – and trapped in organic atoms and hydrated minerals. Bennu is a carbon-rich asteroid and its interesting surface texture suggests that it may contain the building blocks of life once delivered to Earth by planetary eclipse effects.
Shortly after Bennu’s arrival, the spacecraft’s cameras captured images of material being taken out of the planet into space. Bennu is an active asteroid with a surface that regularly kicks rocks, gravel and particulate matter into space. The mission team was amazed to see these plums.
“We discovered a new world that presented us with more than we expected,” Patrick Mitchell, director of research and director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris, said in an email.
“This is because its surface is so rich and varied, geographically, and because many of our assumptions have been disproved when we go into obscurity. OSIRIS-Rex shows us that asteroids are more complex than simple stones in space. .! “
And the data, images and samples collected by OSIRIS-Rex will only further the wonder and truth associated with this fascinating asteroid.
“By returning samples of ancient asteroids like Bennu and analyzing the maximum accuracy of the devices in our labs, we will contribute to the best way of two basic questions: How did our solar system evolve from the disks surrounding gas and dust? How did life come to be on earth? ”Michelle said.
“The adventure continues with the suspense that accompanies it. This is the food for dreams and knowledge in a time when we all need it!”
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