![]() In May, the spacecraft and its precious payload said goodbye to the asteroid and returned to Earth, where OSIRIS-REx will deposit the capsule sample in September 2023. The spacecraft’s visit to the asteroid reached its climax in October 2020, when OSIRIS-REx snatched a sample of Bennu to stash away. Using this data, the team behind the new research was able to improve their understanding of the location and movement of space rocks for about two and a half years. Throughout that time, the spacecraft has been constantly recording its position in relation to Earth and the asteroid. “We’ve been able to go into orbit, we’ve been able to leave orbit, and we’ve been able to get into a variety of shooting angles.” “The spacecraft’s trajectory was really amazing - I compared it to a hummingbird,” said Dante Loretta, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator and author of the new research, during the press conference. OSIRIS-REx (formally known as Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) was launched in September 2016 and slipped into orbit around the asteroid Bennu in December 2018.Īfter arriving, the spacecraft spent nearly two and a half years studying space rocks from orbit, swooping over them, flying over them and inspecting the rock in every possible way. I think the situation has generally improved. (Image credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona) RELATED: NASA Spacecraft Leaves Asteroid Bennu to Bring Pieces to Earth READ MORE: How OSIRIS-REx Makes Those Asteroid Bennu PhotosĪn image of the asteroid Bennu produced by the OSIRIS-REx mission. NASA said that while it represents a slightly higher risk than previous estimates, it represents a small change in an already low risk. Estimates produced before OSIRIS-REx reached the space rock calculated the cumulative probability of a Bennu impact between 21 at 1 in 2,700, according to NASA. And with this incredibly detailed view of the asteroid, experts studying potential space rock impacts on Earth have been able to fine-tune their current models of Bennu’s future.Īs a result, the scientists behind the new research now say they are confident that the total probability of an asteroid impact across 2300 is just 1 in 1750. The agency’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has spent more than two years orbiting closely around the space rock. ![]() ![]() Such data will be beneficial insofar that it will improve impact probabilities of this and future asteroids, according to the study.If the prospect of an asteroid called Bennu hitting Earth for a lifetime from now keeps you up at night, NASA scientists think you can rest a bit. The study will allow researchers to narrow any uncertainties regarding the asteroid’s projection and future orbit. The asteroid itself is potentially hazardous, according to the data. Researchers at NASA used precision-tracking data from their Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer ( OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft to obtain a better comprehension of the asteroid Bennu through the year 2300, NASA stated. ![]() Scientists fine-tune odds of asteroid Bennu hitting Earth through 2300 with NASA probe’s help /8JjIXVSXJ4 However, the study also provided scenarios between the years 2175 to 2196 in which there could be “several possible impacts.” There is a “cumulative impact probability” of 00037%, according to the study. The trajectory of the asteroid is predicted up until that year, the study said. The scientists predicted that the asteroid will come close to striking Earth in 2135. However, even with that likelihood, chances still remain slim of actual contact. NASA researchers stated Wednesday that there is increasing likelihood that asteroid Bennu will hit Earth.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |