NASA survey reveals mystery of "Asteroid Resurrection Day"



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The asteroid of the most dangerous asteroids, Pino, originated in the main asteroid belt about 100 million years ago, as a result of a powerful "accident". 39 "space" that destroyed many larger objects.

In early September 2016, NASA specialists successfully launched the OSIRIS-REx probe in Earth orbit, whose main purpose is to collect the ground from the asteroid Pino (1999 RQ36) reaching this celestial body early December and to transfer the first images of the asteroid Doomsday. Earth.

According to Nature, it is clear that the shape and color are very similar to another celestial body, the Ryugu asteroid, currently being studied by the Japanese mission Hayabusa-2. Over the next six months, OSIRIS-REx will identify the Pino surface map, then the scientists will select the site on which a sample of about 60 grams will be taken.

Unlike Ryugu, where the Japanese probe did not find water, the OSIRIS-REx sensors recorded large amounts of traces of their presence in asteroid rocks on the Day of Resurrection. According to current estimates of scientists, NOEG contains a standard amount of metals created under the influence of liquid water or other forms of moisture.

In addition to water, scientists have discovered that the Pino nucleus is organized in a very chaotic manner and contains a large number of spaces, especially dense areas. This indicates that the asteroid Doomsday originates from the fragments of other large celestial bodies that lived in the main asteroid belt and clashed in a relatively recent past.

Based on the number of holes on its surface, the paper notes that this happened about 100-1000 million years ago. In contrast, the unusual shape of the asteroid, which looks like a vortex or a giant sugar cube, appeared in one of two weird scenarios.

On the one hand, in the past, Pino may have had a small "satellite" torn into pieces, resulting in a "bump" at the equator. On the other hand, it can become a cube shape because part of its interior voids has collapsed and the surface – a deformation.

Scientists measured Pino's rotational speed and found that it was increasing very rapidly. According to their estimates, this number was expected to double over the past 1.5 million years.

This means that Pino's orbit could have changed dramatically in the recent past, or that the shape of the asteroid was very different during the early eras of his life. It is quite difficult to predict how this will affect his future and the state of his reserves.

Until now, scientists have failed to find traces of organic matter on the surface of the asteroid on the day of the end of the world and to understand where this mysterious dust came from. Planetary scientists hope that each of these questions will be solved after approaching and taking a sample of its surface.

According to their current plans, this procedure will be carried out in July, but NASA experts, taking into account the problems of Hayabusa-2, have chosen four of the safest points for sampling in the equatorial and polar regions of Pino.

In the near future, OSIRIS-REx will address these points on several occasions and will examine in detail its structure of selection of key and emergency landing sites. If this procedure succeeds, the probe will throw a capsule to the ground. It will land in Utah at the end of September 2023.

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