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Showing posts with the label Bennu Asteroid

OSIRIS-REx : went from Bennu Asteroid

OSIRIS-REx : went from Bennu Asteroid In an interstellar odyssey that captivated the imaginations of space enthusiasts and scientists alike, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has successfully bid farewell to the enigmatic Bennu asteroid, completing its ambitious mission to collect samples from the ancient space rock. The mission, named (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer), embarked on a meticulous exploration of Bennu's surface, culminating in a daring "touch-and-go" maneuver that saw OSIRIS-REx make contact with Bennu for a brief moment, securing a cache of regolith – fragments of the asteroid's ancient surface. This extraordinary feat, accomplished on October 20, 2020, marks a pivotal chapter in space exploration. OSIRIS-REx is now en route back to Earth, carrying with it the celestial bounty that promises to unlock the secrets of our solar system's formation. The collected samples, akin to time capsules from th...

Bennu : A Celestial Bullet Dodged, or a Treasure Chest Unlocked? The Daring Mission of OSIRIS-REx

Bennu: A Celestial Bullet Dodged, or a Treasure Chest Unlocked? The Daring Mission of OSIRIS-REx Remember that scene in "Armageddon" where Bruce Willis blows up a giant asteroid on a collision course with Earth? Thankfully, Bennu, a real near-Earth asteroid, isn't hurtling towards us quite that aggressively. But it is still a celestial wanderer with a thrilling story, and the audacious mission of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to unlock its secrets. Bennu: A Time Capsule From the Solar System's Dawn Imagine a colossal rock, bigger than the Empire State Building, older than the dinosaurs, and potentially holding the key to the origins of life on Earth. That's Bennu, a carbonaceous chondrite asteroid formed in the fiery crucible of the early solar system, some 4.5 billion years ago. Unlike its metallic or rocky siblings, Bennu is a carbonaceous treasure trove, its dark, diamond-like surface coated in organic molecules and minerals untouched for eons. Studying these...