NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to sample the Empire State Building-sized Bennu asteroid has begun its return journey. So what is the Bennu asteroid, which is frightening not only for its size but also for its impact, and what do we know about it?
The OSIRIX-REx vehicle, which set out for the Bennu asteroid mission, is returning
NASA has already started taking precautions for the Bennu asteroid, which is expected to hit the Earth in 159 years. In this sense, the vehicle for the NASA OSIRIX-REx mission, which took samples from the asteroid, has started its return journey.
So what is the Bennu asteroid and what do we know about it? This asteroid is as big as 1.5 Eiffel Tower in size, about 500 meters wide. In the event of a collision, an energy the size of 24 Tsar bombs, that is, 1200 Megatons, will be released.
NASA announced the probability of the asteroid hitting the Earth as one in 1730. So it is a very remote possibility. However, there is also the possibility that the asteroid will change direction in 159 years with a deviation of 37 per thousand.
That’s why NASA is already taking precautions for the asteroid. That’s why NASA launched the OSIRIS REx mission in 2016. After seven years of taking samples, the vehicle started to return to Earth. This journey is expected to take two years.
The Bennu asteroid is thought to be left over from the first formation of the universe 4.5 billion years ago. In this sense, the asteroid is likely to have some clues about the formation of the universe.
NASA will plan what to do according to the structure of the asteroid after the craft returns to Earth. However, the prediction is that the asteroid will be broken into small pieces that will not cause harm.
The OSIRIX-REx mission planned for Bennu did not go as planned. It was not known exactly what kind of surface the asteroid had. During the landing of the vehicle, it turned out that the areas suitable for landing were very limited.
In this sense, the Bennu asteroid is likely to become an important source for asteroid mining. Especially considering that it will be in a near-Earth orbit for 159 years. However, the difficulty of landing on the asteroid may make things difficult in this sense.
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