NASA’s space probe leaves a mess after taking asteroid samples

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NASA's space probe leaves a mess after taking asteroid samples

This combination of 2019 and 2021 images provided by NASA shows how Bennu’s local surface changed after the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft took an asteroid sample on October 20, 2020. The previous image, above, was taken on March 7. , 2019, and the bottom was taken on April 7, 2021, as part of the final observations to document the surface after the purchase of the sample. The Nightingale site is located in the relatively clear patch just above the center of the crater – visible in the center of the previous image. The large, dark boulder in the center of the right measures 13 meters on the longest axis. (NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona through AP)

A NASA spacecraft left dirt on an asteroid when it grabbed a pile of debris last year to return to Earth, new images revealed on Thursday.

The Osiris-Rex spacecraft made one last flight of the asteroid Bennu on April 7 to take pictures of the disturbances left by the October sample collection.

A depression is visible where Osiris-Rex has penetrated the asteroid’s surface. The boulders were thrown by the pressurized nitrogen gas that was drawn into the ground to pour the suction material and by the spacecraft’s propeller. A 1-ton boulder was thrown at about 12 meters.

The Osiris-Rex team meticulously planned the last flight to ensure the best photos. The pictures were taken around noon to avoid the shadows and to see better the changes on the rocky surface of Bennu.

“These observations were not in the original plan of the mission, so we were pleased to return and document what we did,” Dathon Golish of the University of Arizona said in a statement.






Like the lunar spacecraft, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has left its mark on the asteroid Bennu. Now, the new images – taken during the spacecraft’s final flight on April 7, 2021 – reveal the aftermath of the historic October 20, 2020 Touch-and-Go (TAG) acquisition event. Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

Osiris-Rex will leave Bennu’s neighborhood next month and return to Earth with its precious 1-kilogram sample cargo. It must arrive in 2023.

The carbon-rich orbiting solar asteroid is 293 million kilometers from Earth. By studying pieces of it, scientists hope to better understand how the planets of our solar system formed and how humans should react if an asteroid endangers Earth.

NASA's space probe leaves a mess after taking asteroid samples

Bennu’s surface was disturbed in three different ways: by the force of the spacecraft it touched; by the sampling mechanism, which collected the material by blowing the gas into its collection filter; and four of the spacecraft’s rear thrusters, which moved the spacecraft away from the sample site (marked with a red “X” in the second of these two images) and shook the dust and boulders to the surface. The image above shows the TAG site and highlights (red circle) a large boulder thrown at about 12 meters. Credits: NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx completes the final tour of the asteroid Bennu

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