NASA’s Mission to Save Earth: Asteroid Bennu’s Countdown Begins
Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are in the final stages of an ambitious mission to prevent a potential asteroid collision with Earth that is predicted to occur in 159 years. The target of their mission is an asteroid named Bennu, which could potentially strike Earth on September 24, 2182. Although the chances of this cataclysmic event happening are slim, at 1 in 2,700, NASA is leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to gather crucial data and avert a disaster.
Bennu, a space rock discovered in 1999, passes close to Earth approximately every six years. It is estimated to be as large as the Empire State Building and possess the power of 22 atomic bombs. In 2020, NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft successfully collected a sample of rocky material from Bennu during its Touch-and-Go (TAG) operation. The samples are expected to reach Earth next week.
The asteroid, which scientists believe has been in existence for more than 4.5 billion years, was initially known as 1999 RQ36. However, it was renamed Bennu in 2013 after a third-grade student named Michael Puzio won a naming contest.
We are now in the final leg of this seven-year journey, and it feels very much like the last few miles of a marathon, with a confluence of emotions like pride and joy coexisting with a determined focus to complete the race well, says Rich Burns, the project manager for OSIRIS-REx at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland.
Once the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft reaches a distance of 63,000 miles from Earth, a capsule containing the precious samples will be launched back to our planet. This capsule, roughly the size of a fridge, will accelerate to speeds of around 28,000 mph and experience temperatures twice as hot as lava. To ensure a safe landing, parachutes will be deployed, and the capsule will touch down in the Utah desert at a speed of 11 mph. The recovery crew in the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range will then extract the capsule to avoid any potential contamination of the valuable Bennu samples.
This groundbreaking mission not only aims to protect Earth from a catastrophic collision but also carries the potential to unveil valuable insights about the origins of life on our planet. The scientific endeavor bears a resemblance to the famous Hollywood movie ‘Armageddon,’ in which Bruce Willis destroys an asteroid threatening Earth using a nuclear bomb.
NASA’s tireless efforts to retrieve samples from Bennu are on the brink of success. The data collected from this mission is critical for future asteroid mitigation strategies and may pave the way for a safer future. As the world watches with anticipation, we hope that NASA’s mission will provide us with the knowledge needed to protect our planet from potentially devastating cosmic threats.
