[ad_1]
Two years and two months after the launch of NASA's OSA OSIRIS-REx mission, she arrives at the asteroid Bennu located in the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Tehnot.com explains how to follow the event online and why we need this mission.
The "contact" with Bennu is scheduled to take place on Monday, December 3, around 7 pm Kiev time. This important phase of the mission will be described in detail on NASA's official YouTube channel (in the reader below).
Objectives of the OSIRIS-REx Mission
Bennu-aster. about 500 meters in diameter with great scientific potential. Astronomers suggest that its geology has remained almost unchanged over the last 4.5 billion years. The collection and analysis of samples speak volumes about the origin of the solar system, its planets and the appearance in the system of organic molecules that gave birth to life on Earth.
OSIRIS-REx will spend more than two years near Bennu, reports Wired. The first few weeks, he will maneuver around the asteroid, collecting general data (mass, shape, topography, composition) and selecting a sampling location. First, the Space Shuttle will be at a distance of 18 km and cover several spans, about 250 m from the body of space.
In mid-2020, the main part of the mission was assigned – taking one or more samples. OSIRIS-REx will not sit on the surface of Bennu but will attempt to take a sample with a robotic arm of 3 meters. Scientists plan to take at least 50 g, although the capacity of sending soil to Earth is designed for 2 kg. Whatever the case may be, it will be the largest sample of space since the Apollo lunar missions of the 1970s.
If everything goes as planned, OSIRIS-REx will return home at spring of 2021 and spend about two years on the road.
[ad_2]
Source link
