NASA is edging closer to the conclusion of its ambitious seven year mission, aiming to prevent a catastrophic collision of a massive asteroid named Bennu with Earth.
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Recent findings have indicated that there’s a 1 in 2700 chance of Bennu slamming into Earth on September 24, 2182.
The potential aftermath of its predicted collision with Earth could equate to the explosive energy of 22 atomic bombs.
The asteroid makes its presence felt by passing Earth approximately every six years. However, scientists anticipate that its most perilous close encounter could be a mere 159 years away.
“It feels very much like the last few miles of a marathon, with a confluence of emotions like pride and joy coexisting with a determined focus to complete the race well,†expressed an impassioned Rich Burns, the project manager for OSIRIS-REx at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Come next Sunday, at around 3.42 pm BST, the world will watch with bated breath as the OSIRIS-REx mission dispatches this precious sample back to Earth. After traversing 63,000 miles, the spacecraft will relinquish a capsule, roughly the size of a mini-fridge, preserving the sample.
Hurtling towards Earth at an intense 28,000 mph and enduring temperatures akin to double that of lava, the capsule’s descent will be tempered using parachutes. This will ensure a controlled landing in the Great Salt Lake Desert, Utah, marking the culmination of the OSIRIS-REx’s monumental seven year odyssey.
These asteroid fragments are expected to furnish scientists with a rare peek into the planet formation phenomena that created our solar system approximately 4.5 billion years ago.
“Pristine material from asteroid Bennu will help shed light on the formation of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago and perhaps even on how life on Earth began,†elucidated Nicola Fox, an associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.
Bennu orbits the Sun on a trajectory that occasionally brings it close to Earth. While currently it poses no direct threat, its orbit intersects with Earth’s, which classifies Bennu as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA). ■