I'm not seeing a lot of space tourism potential, but maybe that's just me.
Posted on 04/07/2020 3:17:34 PM PDT by BenLurkin
While it has a face only an astrogeologist could love, that rubble could be as old as the solar system itself. Bennu is also number two on the Palermo Technical Impact Hazard scale, meaning there’s a (slight) chance it could impact Earth very violently in around 150 years. And now, Bennu has the distinction of being the subject of the highest resolution mosaic ever made of any planetary body.
The image was collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft between March 7th and April 19th, 2019. At the time, it was about 2 to 3 miles from the surface of the 1,600 foot wide asteroid, with both bodies located several hundred million miles from Earth. To give an idea of the detail, each pixel in the original 50,669 x 25,350 image represents about 2 inches, so you can make out objects as small as about 10 inches across.
We already know lots of other things about Bennu, including the fact that it’s spewing particles into space — behavior that’s common for a comet, but rare for an asteroid.
OSIRIS-REx’s mission is far from over, and it’s actually scheduled to land on the asteroid in August 2020. To that end, the team used the image to choose the landing site (codenamed Nightingale) in a large crater on the northern section of the asteroid.
...REx will slowly approach Bennu and gently kiss it, firing a burst of nitrogen to blow away particles that will be collected in the sampler head of its robotic arm. If all goes well, the spacecraft will return to Earth with the sample on September 24th, 2023. Hopefully, that will be the closest the Bennu ever comes to Earth.
(Excerpt) Read more at engadget.com ...
Star ashes.
“Scientist have revealed that an early 21st century mission to the asteroid is what changed its trajectory enough that it will hit the earth tomorrow...”
“it could impact Earth very violently in around 150 years.”
150 Years? Could someone please explain to me why I should care?
There is significant pebble alignment in that inset enlarged photo.
Has it obtained affirmative consent?! #NONononono
150 Years? Could someone please explain to me why I should care?
It'll be here before you know it.
*ping*
“150 Years? Could someone please explain to me why I should care?”
Well, those of us that plan on having our heads frozen when we die, in hopes of a future cure for what ailed us 150 years hence, CARE!
*SNORT* LOL!
I'm not seeing a lot of space tourism potential, but maybe that's just me.
Exactlty.
They’ll go on to blame Trump somehow...
The shiney bits could be gold....
Umm...it maybe just rub marks but...does the large, light boulder in the lower center show evidence of stratified (possibly sedimentary) deposits?
Now you're talking!
If gold is not exotic enough, we might say that those glitters are believed to be coming from dilithium crystals.
If you want really rare we could say they’re Left wing good ethnics in crystalline form.
I see what you mean. I can't tell. Maybe.
A larger version of the same image is here:
Unobtainium.
So now we know where they got the Unobtanium supply to allow them to go to that other a planet in Avatar...
Agreed! I'm spending my last fortune on being cryogenicaly frozen. I can't imagine when the day arrives when I am finally revived from my deep sleep and then BOOM!
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