A NASA probe speeding through the solar system has captured its first image of the asteroid Bennu,Love Nonetheless which the space agency will try to land on in 2020.
Once that happens, the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is designed to collect up to 4.4 pounds of ancient space rock, seal the minerals in a capsule, and blast the capsule back to Earth. If all goes as planned, the canister will drop down into the Utah desert in 2023.
SEE ALSO: A 12-mile, underground lake may have been found on Mars. What could live there?The space probe captured its first image of Bennu from 1.4 million miles away, which is pretty close as far as space distances go (this is about six times the distance between the Earth and moon). But as shown below, the asteroid is still too distant to make out any features or details. It looks like a fuzzy, spinning white dot.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable In early December, the probe will begin to orbit quite close to the small asteroid, 4.5 miles (7 kilometers) from the surface. As the craft slowly circles Bennu at just 0.1 mph, NASA scientists will map its rocky surface, scouring the terrain for a suitable landing spot
Compared to many of the 780,000 known asteroids in our solar system, Bennu is pretty small. But it's quite interesting.
For one, Bennu might contain valuable resources that can be used for future deep space exploration, Dante Lauretta, the OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, Tucson, said in a press call.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Lauretta is interested in whether Bennu holds clay deposits, because embedded in clay is water. And water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, two necessary components for rocket fuel.
One day, perhaps, Bennu may serve as a "fuel depot" in space, said Lauretta.
Bennu is also believed to be a well-preserved, ancient asteroid, containing cosmic fragments older than our solar system. Understanding how Bennu formed, and the mish-mash of space materials it's made of, will likely improve astronomers' understanding of how the solar system came to be some four billion years ago.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Finally, Bennu has the slight potential to travel dangerously close to Earth in 2175 and 2195.
"Bennu is one of the ones we are watching," said Lauretta, noting that it has a 1 in 2,700 chance of coming too close for comfort.
Knowing what Bennu is composed of gives NASA better information about how to potentially deflect the large space rock, should it ever veer toward our humble blue planet.
Samsung Unpacked stream is set for May 12, 2025
Computer Tips & Tricks Everyone Should Know
How to unblock xHamster for free
How to unblock xHamster for free
SpaceX's Starlink satellite launch in pictures
Can You Build a Gaming PC for $1,000?
Most Anticipated PC Games of 2023
Best TV deal: Save 29% on the 65
Watch how an old Venus spacecraft tumbled before crashing to Earth
Computer Tips & Tricks Everyone Should Know
How to Squeeze the Most Out of Your iPhone's Battery
10 Games to Work Out Your GPU to the Max
Testing GeForce Now Ultimate RTX 4080 Tier
50 Years of Video Games
Against Fear
Best MacBook deal: Save $150 on 2025 Apple MacBook Air
What Ever Happened to The Million Dollar Homepage?
27 Years of Tomb Raider & Lara Croft
SpaceX's Starlink satellite launch in pictures
Best MacBook deal: Save $150 on 2025 Apple MacBook Air
Nvidia RTX 5060 GPUs: Release date, price, moreBest Amazon deal: Save 28% on the Amazon Echo HubBest console deal: Get the Nintendo Switch OLED Model for under $250 at WootInter Milan vs. Bayern Munich 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for freeInter Milan vs. Bayern Munich 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for free7 Cups started a therapist directory. Critics called it a 'ghost network.'Best Sony deal: Sony’s WFBest robot vacuum deal: Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop $300 off at AmazonNYT mini crossword answers for April 17, 2025How to use Instagram Blend, Meta's new Reels featureToday's Hurdle hints and answers for April 17, 2025Skullcandy Method 360 ANC: BoseBest Amazon deal: Save 28% on the Amazon Echo HubNintendo Switch 2 preorder just days away, per leakBest Kindle deal: Get a refurbished 2021 Kindle Paperwhite for $85What are the rules for texting in the early stages of dating?The Made in America iPhone: How much would it cost?Inter Milan vs. Bayern Munich 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for freeBest gift card deal: Save 15% on a $100 Instacart gift cardBest Max deals and bundles: Best streaming deals in April 2025 Robin Sparkles from 'How I Met Your Mother' is so fun. There's just one thing... Hulu's Happiest Season is a holiday flick with a sad streak: Review Apple's MagSafe Duo is finally available for purchase France's new First Dog keeps a close eye on President Macron Facebook’s Oversight Board takes on one U.S. case Bias, comeback, and aegyo: What all those K Spotify releases top streamed songs, artists, and podcasts for 2020 Janet Mock asks Kim Kardashian tough and important questions in new interview Giving Tuesday campaigns that help you give back this holiday season Utah monolith was apparently torn down by a group of dudes, not aliens Alligator swims over fence and enters woman's flooded backyard in Texas 25 WTF moments caught on Google Street View Ryan Reynolds's birthday message to Blake Lively is Hall Bag of cat food's shadow is a purrrrrrfect illusion UK bans new Huawei 5G network gear from September Incredibly pragmatic dog braves Hurricane Harvey with, yes, an entire bag of dog food Mads Mikkelsen confirmed as 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise's new Grindelwald This grocery store stunt shows what xenophobia looks like Audio readers for kids: Play stories and songs on their own After all his 'bogus' talk, Elon Musk actually did have COVID
2.3579s , 10133.3125 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Love Nonetheless】,Exquisite Information Network