Mysterious, Unexplained Ejections On Asteroid Bennu

A. Sutherland – MessageToEagle.com – The NASA OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, orbiting the asteroid of Bennu, has observed that Bennu has ejected rocks and dust on 11 separate occasions. For the first time, ejected particles of matter were noticed in the pictures from January 6, 2019.

This is the first such observation but it’s not the only surprise coming from the mysterious Bennu, that is probably between about 100 million and one billion years old, which is older than it was expected.

OSIRIS-REx is an American mission to the asteroid Bennu, whose goal is to take samples from it and return with them to Earth in 2023. On 31 December 2018, the probe entered orbit around asteroids.

The team first observed the release of matter from the asteroid on January 6. Since then, the frequency of observations has been increased and for the next two months, researchers have been able to capture the same phenomenon several times.

“…the particles flying off its surface are… range in size from a few centimeters to tens of centimeters. At least four appear to have ended up in orbit around Bennu, forming what are essentially miniature moons around the asteroid. Bennu itself orbits the sun mostly between Earth and Mars,” reported NewScientist.

“We have had spacecraft around other asteroids, and nothing like this was ever reported,” says Andrew Rivkin at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. “The question is, why is this asteroid different?”

Bennu’s surface is rockier than expected, creating challenges for the team whose mission is to scoop up a sample of pristine material and return it to Earth in 2023. (Image: NASA/Goddard/UA) 

Part of the particles, which were thrown away, left asteroid forever, but part of them went on an unstable orbit around Bennu and after some time, returned to its surface.

See also:

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First Image Of Asteroid Bennu: OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Makes Final Approach Towards The Object

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The team is still analyzing the data hoping to explain the phenomenon, which can be caused by the evaporating ice from the asteroid.

Another surprise of the mission was the large variety of the asteroid’s surface. From ground observations it was possible to assume that Bennu is quite a smooth world with few protruding glazes. It turned out, something different. The surface of Bennu is filled with sharp rocks and densely covered with glaze.

Therefore, the mission team must modify the way the Touch-and-Go maneuver (TAG) is performed, with which the object’s samples will be taken. There is no flat and safe enough place on the asteroid, which is at least 25 m wide.

The team is now preparing a program that will be uploaded to the probe and will allow more precision in the approach.

Another interesting observation from Bennu is a decrease in the speed of rotation of the asteroid (1s in 100 years).

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Written by – A. Sutherland – MessageToEagle.com Senior Staff Writer