Bennu: The chase is on

(Fair Use)

According to asteroidmission.org, Bennu is “a carbon-rich asteroid that records the earliest history of our Solar System.”  

In order to explore this asteroid, NASA launched the OSIRIS-REX mission back in 2015.  OSIRIS-REX will scoop up a chunk of Bennu’s crust, in the hopes of discovering some “molecular precursors to the origin of life.”

Although potentially life-giving, Bennu may be far from benevolent.  What Bennu giveth, Bennu might also taketh.  In other words, Bennu is rated the third most likely asteroid to catastrophically impact Earth.

The good news: Earthlings have until late in the 22^nd century to hone their defense.  OSIRIS-REX is an important first step in that process.  Expected to return in 2023, this spacecraft will hopefully deliver a payload of Bennu data.  Such crucial information will help scientists to forge ahead with an “impact mitigation” plan.

 

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/spaceship-chasing-an-asteroid-to-slingshot-past-earth/ar-AAskU8e?OCID=ansmsnnews11 

Copyright September 23, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved