This mosaic image of asteroid Bennu is composed of 12 images collected on Dec. 2, 2018 by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft from a range of 15 miles. NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona hide caption
* * *
A NASA spacecraft successfully touched down on a skyscraper-sized asteroid 200 million miles away, in order to collect a small amount of rock and dust that can then be returned to Earth.
The probe, called OSIRIS-REx , is about as big as a 15-passenger van, and it was aiming for a specific spot inside a boulder-strewn crater. The maneuver was tricky and fraught with peril, as the spacecraft had to reach a safe area that's only the size of a few parking spaces.
Not to change the topic here:
See NASA spacecraft successfully land on an asteroid - CNN Video
Top 10 things to know about asteroid Bennu | Space | EarthSky
Take a video tour of asteroid Bennu's remarkable terrain and read a list of 10 cool things scientists know about this pristine remnant from the early days of our solar system.
Captured on October 20, 2020, during the OSIRIS-REx mission's sample collection event on asteroid Bennu, this series of 82 images shows the spacecraft’s field of view as it approaches and touches down on Bennu's surface. The sampling event brought the spacecraft all the way down to the sample site, and the team on Earth received confirmation of a successful touchdown at 6:08 p.m.
Neil deGrasse Tyson warns asteroid could hit Earth the day before the election | TheHill
Stressed out about the presidential election this year? The Universe heard you and is sending you an asteroid.
* * *
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is fully aware of this and they are not concerned. In fact, they tweeted about it back in August , saying that it was about 6.5 feet (roughly the size of a refrigerator) and only had a 0.41 percent chance of entering the atmosphere.
Asteroid 2018VP1 is very small, approx. 6.5 feet, and poses no threat to Earth! It currently has a 0.41% chance of entering our planet's atmosphere, but if it did, it would disintegrate due to its extremely small size.
Many things are taking place:
Dinosaur Asteroid Hit Worst-Case Place - Scientific American
The mass-extinction asteroid happened to strike an area where the rock contained a lot of organic matter and sent soot into the stratosphere, where it could block sunlight for years.
* * *
“These components in the atmosphere drove global cooling and darkness that would have stopped photosynthesis from occurring, ultimately shutting down the food chain.”
Some of the soot probably came from wildfires that erupted around the planet following the impact. But most of these particles would have lingered in the lower atmosphere for only a few weeks, and wouldn’t have had much of an effect on global climate.
An Incoming Asteroid Isn't The Only 'Omen' Close To The U.S. Presidential Election
However, given that some people like to find meaning in random space events, there are FIVE other sky events—from a brightening comet to a total solar eclipse—that are happening around the U.S. Presidential Election, and in its aftermath, that are at least as "omen"-like as a small asteroid.
Let's be clear about this. They are not omens. There's no such thing as omens, which are events that foretell the future. That's impossible. The Universe works in way more interesting ways than that.
OSIRIS-REx Unlocks More Secrets from Asteroid Bennu | NASA
Neil deGrasse Tyson Says Slim Chance Asteroid Hits U.S. Before Election
Neil deGrasse Tyson is trying to ease fears about the asteroid that's got a shot of striking the U.S. before election day -- but also knows everyone wants to panic, cause it's 2020.
* * *
Neil, who hosts the new Fox show, "Cosmos: Possible Worlds," says a direct hit is even getting a little ahead of ourselves. The prediction's based on a limited amount of data -- the proverbial "small sample size" for all you baseball nuts enjoying the World Series.
No comments:
Post a Comment