A Nasa mission that collided with an asteroid didn’t just leave a dent – it reshaped the space rock
The mission provided details about how to deflect an asteroid should one threaten Earth in future.
Feb. 26, 2024 • ~7 min
The mission provided details about how to deflect an asteroid should one threaten Earth in future.
Some space rocks you can get for free – if you know how to identify them. Rarer materials cost more, and the asteroid sample NASA just brought back has a high price tag.
Studying the sample could help answer how water arrived on Earth and how life started.
Controlled experiments are impossible in astronomy, as are direct measurements of physical properties of objects outside our solar system. So how do astronomers know so much about them?
NASA has only mapped 40% of the potentially dangerous asteroids that could crash into Earth. New projects will boost that number, and upcoming missions will test tech that could prevent collisions.
OSIRIS-REx will touch down on asteroid Bennu, collect a sample of the dust and begin its journey back to Earth, where scientists will study it, hoping to learn secrets of the solar system's origin.
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