Asteroid Bennu has been under close scrutiny since December. Here are six key results from the first few months of data from OSIRIS-REx.
asteroids
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Scientists, Explorers Keen to Locate Water-Bearing Asteroids
Hydrated minerals on near-Earth asteroids offer both scientific revelations and economic incentives for companies looking to refuel satellites with material from nearby space.
Posted inNews
A Target Before Shooting Ryugu
The asteroid’s rough surface surprised Hayabusa2’s mission scientists. So they pulled out their spare gun and shot an “asteroid” at home first.
Posted inNews
Asteroid Mission Attempts Touchdown, Sample Grab
Hayabusa2 will fire a metal bullet into the asteroid surface to eject material that will then be collected. The mission will return the samples to Earth in late 2020.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Long Can Celestial Bodies Retain Ice?
A new model suggests that many objects in the outer asteroid belt may still harbor deposits that formed around the time of their accretion.
Posted inNews
Huge Global Tsunami Followed Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Impact
The cataclysmic Chicxulub impact roughly 66 million years ago spawned a tsunami that produced wave heights of several meters in distant waters, new simulations suggest.
Posted inFeatures
Exploring Planetary Breadcrumbs One Asteroid at a Time
Six ongoing and future missions explore the variety of asteroids in the solar system, seeking to uncover what makes each of them special.
Posted inNews
Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Impact Made Huge Dead Zones in Oceans
The discovery reveals similarities between the extinction event that ended the Mesozoic Era and human-driven global warming.
Posted inNews
Are We Prepared for an Asteroid Headed Straight to Earth?
A century after an asteroid crashed into Tunguska, Siberia, experts discuss the current lineup of missions to study asteroids and mitigate future disasters should another object from space hit Earth.
Posted inNews
After Obliteration, How Long Until Life Returned?
By studying the Chicxulub crater associated with the extinction of more than 75% of species then on Earth, researchers have begun to fill in a timeline for life’s rebound after the cataclysm.