NASA won’t know if it successfully obtained an asteroid sample for a week
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe successfully performed its “Touch And Go” maneuver on the surface of the space rock Bennu last night. The spacecraft did what …
Asteroid
Scientists spot hints of flowing water on asteroid’s surface
The asteroid known as Bennu has revealed some tantalizing secrets to NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Some rocks and surface features of the asteroid appear to indicate …
NASA’s asteroid probe is about to perform its riskiest move yet
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe will finally attempt its risky sample-gathering maneuver last next month. The spacecraft will perform a delicate “touch-and-go” maneuver to snag a …
An asteroid just missed Earth this morning, but it’s fine
An asteroid passed by Earth early this morning at such a short distance that it was closer to the surface than many satellites. The space …
A rocket booster from the 1960s may have come back to haunt us
Astronomers have spotted what appears to be an asteroid headed for Earth orbit. If the object is indeed an asteroid and inserts itself into Earth …
NASA’s asteroid probe just found something unexpected
Scientists studying the asteroid Bennu have discovered parts of a different asteroid on its surface. Bennu has chunks of the asteroid Vesta on its surface, …
Why is this asteroid sending parts of itself into space?
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe has spotted the asteroid Bennu flinging pieces of its own surface into space. These “particle ejection events” happen all the time, …
An asteroid won’t hit before Election Day, even if you want it to
An asteroid is slated to make a very close pass of Earth on November 2nd, just one day before the 2020 US Presidential Election. The …
An asteroid just came shockingly close as it flew by Earth
An asteroid sped past Earth before any scientists even knew it was there. The asteroid, which was estimated to be as large as 18 feet …
Can NASA’s asteroid probe grab a sample without being destroyed?
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe just nailed its second trial run for a sample collection attempt in October. The goal is to obtain samples from the …
A 65-foot-long asteroid just sped past Earth and we almost missed it
Astronomers from the University of Hawaii detected a near-Earth asteroid just as it made its way past our planet. The rock, which the scientists estimate …
NASA finally names the asteroid it’s going to crash into
NASA is sending a spacecraft to slam into the side of a tiny asteroid in 2022. The asteroid is part of a binary pair, and …
NASA gets up close and personal with space rock Bennu
NASA’s asteroid sampling OSIRIS-REx probe took a dive toward one of its sample collection sites and sent back a gorgeous image. The site is called …
Japanese asteroid probe discovers an incredible secret
Japan’s Hayabusa2 asteroid probe snapped images that reveal the space rock had a close encounter with the Sun. Scorched rock was present on the asteroid’s …
That ‘alien probe’ asteroid might be a chunk of an alien planet
Oumuamua, the first interstellar object spotted by mankind, might be a fragment of a planet that was torn apart by its star. Researchers ran simulations …
NASA’s asteroid probe is rehearsing for its most dangerous move yet
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe is about to perform its most daring maneuver yet. In a rehearsal for the sample-gathering act planned for later this year, …
Ancient humans saw an asteroid apocalypse first-hand
An asteroid or comet completely wiped out the ancient human settlement of Abu Hureyra. The impact is likely part of a larger cosmic impact event …
A colossal asteroid is about to pass by Earth, but we’ll be fine
NASA and other space agencies around the globe do their best to keep a close eye on objects that get a little too close to …
NASA finally picked its landing spot on asteroid Bennu
Earlier this month, NASA revealed the final four would-be landing spots for its OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe. The locations, known as Nightingale, Kingfisher, Osprey, and Sandpiper, …
Here are the places on asteroid Bennu where NASA might grab its sample
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe has been hanging around the space rock named Bennu for roughly a year now, and it’s observed some interesting things over …
NASA’s probe spots asteroid spewing chunks of itself into space
NASA started off the year strong with big news from its OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe. In early January, NASA celebrated the successful insertion of the probe …
Japan’s asteroid probe just fired up its engine for a historic return to Earth
Japan’s Hayabusa2 asteroid probe has already accomplished a lot. The spacecraft successfully traveled to its target, a space rock known as Ryugu, where it entered …
Japan’s asteroid probe is headed back to Earth, and it’s carrying precious cargo
The Japanese space program JAXA has accomplished a lot in 2019. After successfully guiding its asteroid probe Hayabusa2 to the space rock known as Ryugu …
NASA was forced to rename an asteroid because of Nazis
Earlier this year, NASA’s New Horizons probe visited a very special space rock. It was a momentous occasion, especially since the rock turned out to …
An asteroid as large as 2,000 feet across will speed past Earth later this month
A large space rock known to scientists as 481394 (2006 SF6) will make its closest approach to Earth in just a couple of weeks. NASA …
Japan’s asteroid probe just fired a rover at space rock Ryugu
The Hayabusa2 probe arrived at the space rock known as Ryugu in June of last year. It was launched by Japan’s space agency JAXA, and …
Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs was as strong as 10 billion atomic bombs, study says
When a colossal space rock came crashing down 66 million years ago onto what is now the Yucatan Penninsula in Mexico, it triggered widespread changes …
A pair of asteroids are about to whiz past Earth, but we’ll be fine
One of the great things about having powerful observational tools to scan the heavens is that we have a good chance of spotting potential planet-killing …
Feast your eyes on the Earth-like, rocky debris covering the surface of asteroid Ryugu
Japan’s space agency JAXA has had a busy year, but that’s par for the course when you’re controlling an asteroid probe orbiting a distant space …
Here are the four spots where NASA’s asteroid probe might land
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is currently hanging out around the asteroid known as Bennu. It’s been there for months, taking photos and scanning the asteroid’s surface …
