UPSC Essentials | One word a day : Bennu, the asteroid

— Sample from asteroid Bennu is rich in carbon and water. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Wednesday made this announcement from its Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The outside of the OSIRIS-REx sample collector. Sample material from the asteroid Bennu can be seen on the middle right. (NASA/Erika Blumenfeld & Joseph Aebersold)

KEY TAKEAWAYS

— An initial study of the samples of asteroid Bennu brought back to Earth has revealed evidence of high carbon content and water.

— This indicates that the building blocks of life on our planet can also be found on the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid.

— This is a preliminary assessment of essential findings by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer) science team.

This Aug. 11, 2020 photo shows the sampling arm of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft during a rehearsal for an approach to the “Nightingale” sample site on the surface of the asteroid Bennu. (NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona via AP)

— Scientists began with a “quick-look” analysis of the initial material, where they collected images from a scanning electron microscope along with infrared measurements, X-ray diffraction and chemical element analysis.

— They also used X-ray computed tomography to produce a 3D computer model of one of the particles. This early “quick-look” gave evidence for the abundant presence of carbon and water in the sample.

— Bennu is a small, near-Earth asteroid that passes close to Earth about every six years.

— The asteroid was named after an Egyptian deity by a nine-year-old boy from North Carolina in 2013 who won NASA’s “Name that Asteroid” competition. The asteroid was discovered by a team from the NASA-funded Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research team in 1999.

— Bennu is an asteroid about as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City and located at a distance of about 200 million miles away from the Earth.

— Scientists study asteroids to look for information about the formation and history of planets and the sun since asteroids were formed at the same time as other objects in the solar system.

— Another reason for tracking them is to look for asteroids that might be potentially hazardous.

— Significantly, Bennu hasn’t undergone drastic changes since its formation over billions of years ago and therefore it contains chemicals and rocks dating back to the birth of the solar system. It is also relatively close to the Earth.

A shipping container with the canister of asteroid Bennu sample onboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 aircraft. (NASA/Molly Wasser)

— The secrets held within the rocks and dust from the asteroid will be studied for decades to come, offering insights into how our solar system was formed, how the precursor materials to life may have been seeded on Earth, and what precautions need to be taken to avoid asteroid collisions with our home planet.

What is an asteroid?

— Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, much smaller than planets. They are also called minor planets. According to NASA, 994,383 is the count of known asteroids, the remnants from the formation of the solar system over 4.6 billion years ago.

— Asteroids are divided into three classes. First, those found in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, which is estimated to contain somewhere between 1.1-1.9 million asteroids.

— The second group is that of trojans, which are asteroids that share an orbit with a larger planet. NASA reports the presence of Jupiter, Neptune and Mars trojans. In 2011, they reported an Earth trojan as well.

The OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule can be seen here at the landing site, charred from its entry into Earth. (NASA/Keegan Barber)

— The third classification is Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA), which have orbits that pass close by the Earth. Those that cross the Earth’s orbit are called Earth-crossers. More than 10,000 such asteroids are known, out of which over 1,400 are classified as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs).

What is the OSIRIS-REx mission?

— This is NASA’s first mission meant to return a sample from the ancient asteroid. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program. It returned to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023, to drop off material from asteroid Bennu.

— According to NASA, “This mission will help scientists investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.”

— The mission was launched in 2016, it reached its target in 2018 and since then, the spacecraft was trying to match the velocity of the asteroid using small rocket thrusters to rendezvous it. It also utilised this time to survey the surface and identify potential sites to take samples.

— The objective of the OSIRIS-REx mission was to collect 60 grams of asteroid material from Bennu and bring it back to Earth for analysis.

— The spacecraft didn’t land, but continued on to a new mission to explore asteroid Apophis. It dropped samples into the Utah desert.

— Scientists hope that the sample offer clues to whether asteroids colliding with Earth billions of years ago brought water along with other important ingredients crucial for life.

(Also Refer: http://www.nasa.gov)

Point to ponder: The OSIRIS-REx mission proves once again is not merely the tenacity of the human mind but also its capacity to imagine other worlds and other wonders. Discuss.

Post Read MCQ:

Consider the following statements with reference to OSIRIS-REx mission space:

1. This was NASA’s third mission meant to return a sample from the ancient asteroid.

2. The spacecraft landed in the Utah desert and provided samples from asteroid Bennu.

Which of the statement/s below is are correct?

(a) Only 1

(b) Only 2

(c) Both 1

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Post your answer in the comment box below.

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