NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe performed its Touch-And-Go maneuver on the space rock Bennu days ago. The new video shows the probe slapping the surface of the asteroid and kicking up material with its gas jet. Eventually, the prob will bring asteroid material back to Earth, but that won’t be for another couple of years. It’s …
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 it was designed to do, but we still don’t know if it obtained a large enough sample of material. It may take a week before we know whether the maneuver …
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 that water once flowed on its surface or that of its parent asteroid. NASA’s asteroid probe will begin its return journey to Earth in December and arrive back to Earth …
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 sample from the surface and then return to a safe orbit. The sample will eventually be returned to Earth where scientists will study it. It’s been many months since NASA’s …
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 rock passed our planet at a distance of 13,000 miles or so, which is a very near miss when it comes to space. Had the rock entered Earth’s atmosphere, it …
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 orbit, it would be considered a “mini-moon,” but not everyone is convinced. Some scientists, including members of NASA, believe the “asteroid” is really just an old rocket booster that has …
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, and researchers can only guess as to how they got there. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been orbiting Bennu for months. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid probe has been orbiting the large 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, and NASA scientists have already spotted over 300 instances of it. Going forward, scientists hope to find an explanation for why it is happening, and what processes on or beneath …
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 asteroid’s odds of hitting Earth are less than half of one percent. The rock is so small, that even if it entered Earth’s atmosphere, it would be destroyed by friction …
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 in width, passed within just 1,830 miles of our planet, making it the closest flyby without a collision ever recorded. The rock’s relatively small size likely contributed to it flying …
