Tag: Bennu asteroid

NASA’s final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid Bennu rubble
17Feb By adminNo Comments
Technology

NASA’s final tally shows spacecraft returned double the amount of asteroid Bennu rubble

[ad_1] NASA finally has counted up all the asteroid samples returned by a spacecraft last fall — and it's double the rubble return goal. Officials reported Thursday that the Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected 121.6 grams (4.29 ounces) of dust and pebbles from asteroid Bennu. That's just over half a cup and the biggest cosmic haul ever from beyond the moon.It took NASA longer than expected to pry open the sample container because of stuck fasteners. The black, carbon-rich samples — the first ever collected from an asteroid by NASA — are stored at a special curation lab at Houston's Johnson Space Center. Osiris-Rex returned the samples last September, three years after gathering them from the asteroid. The haul for the $1 billion mission would have been greater, but rocks jammed the lid of t...
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After Bennu asteroid, NASA sends OSIRIS-REx on a mission to study ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis
28Dec By adminNo Comments
Technology

After Bennu asteroid, NASA sends OSIRIS-REx on a mission to study ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid Apophis

[ad_1] NASA has discovered thousands of asteroids to date using its advanced ground and space-based telescopes. The list of asteroids includes a potentially life-threatening asteroid called Bennu which has a 1/2700 chance of impacting Earth between 2175 and 2195. With such possibility looming, the US space agency carried out a study of the asteroid by landing a spacecraft on it and collecting dust and rock samples, which recently returned to Earth. Now, NASA has repurposed the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to study another potentially life-threatening asteroid, one which could come very close to Earth within this decade! Know all about the NASA God of Chaos mission to study asteroid Apophis.NASA God of Chaos missionAfter depositing the samples collected from the Bennu asteroid back to Earth, NA...
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10 top achievements of NASA in 2023: Bennu, Psyche to Dinkinesh, check them all out
26Dec By adminNo Comments
Technology

10 top achievements of NASA in 2023: Bennu, Psyche to Dinkinesh, check them all out

[ad_1] 2023 has been a ground-breaking year for NASA. From receiving asteroid sample to launching Psyche spacecraft, the US space agency achieved various milestones. As the year ends, we have compiled a list of 10 achievements of NASA.10 top achievements of NASA in 2023:1. This year NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio achieved a historic milestone as the first American to spend over a year in space, showcasing NASA's commitment to prolonged human space exploration. 2. OSIRIS-REx successfully deposited Bennu asteroid sample in the Utah desert, offering insights into the ancient building blocks of life on Earth 3. The Psyche asteroid spacecraft launched from NASA Kennedy Space Centre.4. NASA's Lucy spacecraft conducted its first target asteroid flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh at the inner edge of the ...
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A better DART mission for asteroid deflection? Know what NASA says
15Dec By adminNo Comments
Technology

A better DART mission for asteroid deflection? Know what NASA says

[ad_1] The threat of asteroids hitting the Earth is always present and scientists have been working for decades now to track them and to devise the methods to deflect them or otherwise neutralize any threat potential they may have. One of the methods is to alter the direction of the asteroids moving towards our planet. Although the chances of any asteroid hitting our planet are low, but the considering the devastating impact it can have, it is necessary to keep a track.One such mission is NASA's DART mission. It was the first-ever mission by NASA whose main goal was to investigate and demonstrate a method of asteroid deflection by changing an its motion in space through kinetic impact. The first such impact was carried out by NASA in 2022. The analysis of data obtained by NASA's Double ...
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NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid Bennu sample unveiled at the Smithsonian museum
7Nov By adminNo Comments
Technology

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid Bennu sample unveiled at the Smithsonian museum

[ad_1] In September, NASA reached a unique milestone when its ambitious project, the OSIRIS-REx mission, was completed successfully. The spacecraft traveled 6.2 billion kilometers to meet an asteroid named Bennu in deep space, collected samples, and then delivered them to the Earth. These samples, collected for the first time ever by humanity, are expected to answer some of the biggest questions around the origin of the Earth, the life of the planet, and the solar system itself. And now, a small piece of this sample has been placed in the iconic Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History so that people can come and appreciate the historic feat.According to a report by Payload Space, the asteroid sample was unveiled at the museum on Friday. The unveiling was a ceremonious occasion as the ro...
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Wow! NASA finds building blocks of LIFE in Bennu Asteroid sample!
12Oct By adminNo Comments
Technology

Wow! NASA finds building blocks of LIFE in Bennu Asteroid sample!

[ad_1] NASA has been making efforts to track and study asteroids to remove uncertainties about their close approaches with Earth and know about any potential impacts. Through its various advanced instruments, NASA revealed that a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) called Bennu has a 1/2700 chance of impacting Earth between 2175 and 2195. In efforts to study this space rock, NASA launched the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) on September 8, 2016. The mission involved travelling to the asteroid, landing on its surface, collecting dust and rock samples, and returning them to Earth. The mission is now over as the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft recently released the sample container over Earth, after which it underwent a “nitroge...
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Boeing 777-sized asteroid speeding towards Earth! NASA reveals size and speed
25Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

Boeing 777-sized asteroid speeding towards Earth! NASA reveals size and speed

[ad_1] NASA is on a continuous mission to track and study asteroids especially the ones that come too close to the Earth for comfort. The US space agency goes to considerable lengths to increase its knowledge about the space rocks. The most recent case being the retrieval of an asteroid sample from a spacecraft it had sent out to collect it. It achieved this significant milestone yesterday by successfully retrieving the space capsule containing the samples from Asteroid Bennu. These precious samples were collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in 2020 and the craft came back now. This marked NASA's inaugural attempt and triumph in acquiring samples from an asteroid.The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft followed an extensive journey spanning over 4 billion miles to reach Asteroid Bennu and subsequ...
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Apollo group asteroid approaching Earth! Is it hazardous? Know what NASA says
23Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

Apollo group asteroid approaching Earth! Is it hazardous? Know what NASA says

[ad_1] Have you ever thought what would happen if Earth got hit by an asteroid? Even the thought of it is scary. While that has not happened for quite some time now, the threat is constantly present. It is also something that is inevitable and that is why space agencies like NASA keep a constant watch on all asteroids approaching Earth. While it is not in the hands of humankind to stop an approaching asteroid, NASA has successfully tested a mission where it was able to divert an asteroid from its path. This was the DART mission.Recently, NASA shared that its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is expected to deliver a capsule containing Bennu asteroid samples on 24 September. This sample can be very useful to learn about the origin of our solar system as well as the Bennu asteroid which is expected t...
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Largest Asteroid Sample Ever Collected Is Coming Down to Earth
23Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

Largest Asteroid Sample Ever Collected Is Coming Down to Earth

[ad_1] Chunks of asteroid that could tell us about the earliest days of the 4.5 billion-year-old solar system and the possible origins of water on our planet are set to land in the Utah desert Sunday.It's a moment more than a decade in the making for a NASA mission called OSIRIS-REx. Its goal was to scoop up a large sample of rocks and dust from a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu and bring it to our planet to study. The spacecraft successfully snagged its prize in 2020 and this weekend will finally pass by Earth and release a capsule containing the sample and send it careening down to Utah. “This is, of course, the moment we've all been waiting for,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Science Mission Directorate's Planetary Science Division. The sample will help scientists get a snapsho...
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450-meter asteroid Bennu samples to come back to Earth on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx; know when
1Apr By adminNo Comments
Technology

450-meter asteroid Bennu samples to come back to Earth on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx; know when

[ad_1] More than six years have passed since the NASA OSIRIS-REx spacecraft embarked on its unique mission. Unlike most NASA expeditions, the spacecraft's destination was not a planet or a moon, but a 450-meter wide asteroid named 101955 Bennu. The mission's objective was to collect a minimum of 60 grams of sample material from the asteroid and return it to Earth. Right now, it is on the way home with almost 250 grams of primitive rocks stored in its locker. And to add to the excitement, NASA has announced the return date for the spacecraft to touch down on the Earth and how it is planning to recover the sample.NASA reported in a press release that its first-of-a-kind mission will end on September 24 when the spacecraft will return to Earth. But the biggest challenge for the space agenc...
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