The spacecraft OSIRIS-REx spent two years observing asteroid Bennu before commencing its long return journey to Earth. Now, astronomers have predicted that there is a slim chance that the asteroid could collide with our planet in the future. The asteroid is 500 meters wide, which is a big size for a space rock.
NASA scientists have used data from this expedition to understand more about Bennu’s orbit, enabling them to predict its future positions. Though the asteroid will make a close encounter with our planet in 2135, it won’t pose any threat. However, in the year 2300, there’s a 1 in 1,1750 chance that Bennu will hit Earth.
Ever-improving asteroid tracking
“The OSIRIS-REx data give us so much more precise information, we can test the limits of our models and calculate the future trajectory of Bennu to a very high degree of certainty through 2135,” said study lead Davide Farnocchia. “We’ve never modeled an asteroid’s trajectory to this precision before.”
Although there’s no need to panic for events predict to happen 300 years from now, this is a demonstration of how asteroid tracking tech has advanced over the years. This is imperative to spot other potentially hazardous asteroids that move through our solar system.
“NASA’s Planetary Defense mission is to find and monitor asteroids and comets that can come near Earth and may pose a hazard to our planet,” said Kelly Fast, program manager for the Near-Earth Object Observations Program at NASA.
Bennu samples will provide more insights
“We carry out this endeavor through continuing astronomical surveys that collect data to discover previously unknown objects and refine our orbital models for them. The OSIRIS-REx mission has provided an extraordinary opportunity to refine and test these models, helping us better predict where Bennu will be when it makes its close approach to Earth more than a century from now,” he added.
With the help of data from OSIRIS-REx, including the size, mass, composition, and trajectory of Bennu, scientists were able to predict its future orbit more precisely. Moreover, the spacecraft has also gathered samples of the asteroid that it’s carrying back to Earth, which will enable researchers to gather even more data.
