Mission to the asteroid Bennu

Let us remind you that the American OSIRIS-REx probe was successfully launched into orbit in September 2016 as part of its mission to approach and collect samples from the surface of the asteroid Bennu (1999 RQ36), which is considered the only meteorite in the recent past. One of the main cosmic threats to life on Earth. The probe reached the celestial body in early December 2018.

In October 2020, the device made a successful landing on the surface of the “asteroid of doom” at a point called Nightingale. The NASA instrument collected samples of matter and, using onboard spectroscopes, cameras, and other scientific instruments, studied Bennu’s structure and properties in detail from as close a distance as possible.

Examining asteroid samples

A team of American and Japanese planetary scientists led by NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex mission scientist Dante Lauretta used this information to study the asteroid’s properties and structure in detail before OSIRIS-REx approached Earth in September 2023 and spilled the collected material on it. .

Data analysis by Lauretta and colleagues revealed several interesting features of the asteroid. In particular, scientists discovered that its substance is very loose – its density is only 500-700 kilograms per cubic meter; this is several times lower than the similar indicator for terrestrial rocks.

Analysis of the spectrum of the collected rock samples of Bennu showed that in its bowels there are organic and important mineral reserves, which are formed as a result of the interaction of the main substance of the Solar System with liquid water. According to the researchers, this makes it particularly interesting to study the samples collected by OSIRIS-REx.

Additionally, the scientists measured the exact mass of the collected material. The probe’s robotic arm was able to capture more than 250 grams of material, and a significant part of these reserves are deep rock samples that differ in color and structure from the near-surface layers. Scientists hope that further research and comparison of the composition of these two types of rocks will help to understand how the structure of the primary matter of the Solar System changes under the influence of the solar wind and cosmic rays.