2023-07-29 21:19:18
A group of Canadian scientists are eagerly waiting to receive samples from an asteroid that was collected nearly 500,000 km from Earth.
These samples were collected by the OSIRIS-REx space probe, which carries lasers made in Canada. These lasers helped guide the device and create a detailed map of the asteroid known as Bennu.
Bennu, formerly known as NEO 101955, is regarding 500 meters in diameter and travels regarding 450,000 km from Earth.
Dropping on September 24
The OSIRIS-REx probe orbited less than 200 meters from its surface to pick up samples on the fly that it is bringing back to Earth. She is expected to jettison the capsule containing the samples on September 24.
In six weeks, we have collected data that provides us with the most detailed asteroid modeling to date. We can observe the fractures and the details of the stones. We are very proud of it.
The Bennu asteroid was chosen for several reasons.
This celestial body is located at a reasonable distance from the Earth. It is massive enough to allow a space probe to orbit, although OSIRIS has set a record for the smallest orbit ever recorded. It is considered primitive since it has undergone very little modification since its appearance billions of years ago.
Dominique Weis of the University of British Columbia points out that examining the samples will open a window into the early days of the solar system. The idea is to go back as far as possible in time, she says.
Merging of several asteroids
Alan Hildebrand, a geoscientist at the University of Calgary, says examining pieces of Bennu should help to learn more regarding the formation of the Earth and the solar system.
The Earth was formed by the fusion of several asteroids, he mentions. Studying asteroids helps us understand the origins of our planet.
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Bennu asteroid
Photo : NASA
Bennu might help understand how the earth’s crust was formed, adds Professor Hildebrand.
This asteroid comes from a region of space that cooled long before the central part of what became the solar system. Materials were frozen long before they might be changed by heat. Collecting the samples directly from the surface of the asteroid allows scientists to examine them without considering the effects experienced by meteorites as they pass through Earth’s atmosphere.
The Bennu rocks are from an older part of the solar system. We can examine the series of materials without the atmosphere filter.
This is only the third time that scientists will have the chance to obtain samples from this asteroid. The two kilograms of rocks and dust, however, constitute the heaviest load of material ever collected.
We will have more materials to do more things, comments Professor Hildebrand.
Canadian investment
Canadian labs can receive samples from Bennu because Canada has invested $61 million in the OSIRIS program. However, before a lab can start operating its spectrometer, NASA wants to make sure it knows how to handle the samples it receives.
We practiced and practiced and practiced once more, says Prof. Weis. We have developed a method to be as accurate as possible.
The OSIRIS probe has already been the subject of dozens of scientific articles. The arrival of the Bennu samples should bring out several more.
The renamed probe OSIRIS-APEX has enough fuel to return to its task. Its next destination is Apophis, a near-Earth asteroid regarding 370 meters in diameter that will be located 32,000 km from Earth in 2029. It is expected to use its rocket engines to lift particles from the Earth’s soil and subsoil. asteroid.
She will then transmit the information to Earth, her last mission.
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