This combination of 2019 and 2021 images made available by NASA shows how Pino’s local surface changed after the Osiris Rex spacecraft took a sample of the asteroid on October 20, 2020. The previous image, top , was taken on March 7, 2019 and the bottom was captured in April 2021, as part of the concluding observations to document the surface after sample acquisition. The Nightingale site is in a relatively clear area just above the center of the crater – it can be seen in the center of the previous image. The large dark rock in the right center measures 13 meters on its longest axis. (NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona via AP)
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New images on Thursday revealed that a NASA spacecraft left a mess of asteroids when it picked up a shipment of debris last year to return to Earth.
The Osiris-Rex spacecraft made a final flyby of asteroid Bennu on April 7 to capture images of the turbulence left behind in October. Collecting samples.
Depression is visible when Osiris Rex pierces the surface of the asteroid. The rocks were dumped by compressed nitrogen gas released on Earth to displace the material in a vacuum, and by the spacecraft’s escape thruster. A one-ton boulder was thrown about 12 m (40 feet).
The Osiris-Rex team meticulously planned the last flyby to ensure the best shots. Photos were taken around noon to avoid shadows and better see the changes on Bennu’s rock surface.
“These sightings were not part of the original mission plan, so we were excited to go back and document what we did,” Dutton Gulich of the University of Arizona said in a statement.
Osiris-Rex will leave the vicinity of Bennu next month and return to Earth with a hold of a precious 2 pound (1 kilogram) specimen. It is expected to arrive in 2023.
The asteroid, orbiting the sun and rich in carbon, is 293 million km from Earth. By studying parts of it, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of how the planets in our solar system form and how people should interact if an asteroid threatens Earth.
Benno’s surface was disturbed in three different ways: by the force of the spacecraft landing; By a sampling mechanism, which collects the materials by blowing gas into the collecting filter; And by means of four of the spacecraft’s rear propulsion engines, which moved the spacecraft away from the sample location (marked with a red “X” in the second frame of these two images) and irritated the dust and rocks on the surface. The image above shows the location of the TAG and highlights (red circle) a large boulder thrown about 40 feet (about 12 meters). Source: NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona
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NASA’s Osiris Rex completes final tour of asteroid Bennu
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