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Watch NASA's OSIRIS-REx Rendezvous With an Asteroid: The spacecraft arrives at the tiniest [tr]
Popular Mechanics ^
| December 3, 2018
| Avery Thompson
Posted on 12/03/2018 9:20:54 AM PST by C19fan
NASAs OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was launched in 2016, but today it will begin to orbit its destination: the asteroid Bennu. When it does, Benniu will break the record for the smallest object ever orbited by a manmade spacecraft. NASA will begin a process of learning more about the small asteroids that reside in our part of the solar system.
You can watch the livestream of the arrival here:
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: 101955bennu; 1999rq36; asteroid; astronomy; bennu; carbonaceous; catastrophism; chondrite; livecoverage; nasa; osirisrex; science; spacecraft
Bennu has a diameter of almost 500 meters or 1,600 feet. It weighs 60,000,000,000 kg or 132,277,357,310 lbs. /joke on/I hope the gravity of the spacecraft does not jar Bennu's orbit sending it crashing to Earth./joke off/
1
posted on
12/03/2018 9:20:54 AM PST
by
C19fan
To: C19fan
Instead, OSIRIS-REx will perform something of a drive-by sample collection. The spacecraft will only touch the surface with its sample collection arm for a few seconds, hoovering up some rock samples before taking off again. This is something no one has ever done before, so itll be exciting to see how it works. Sounds like a tricky trajectory to do a touch-and-go on an asteroid.
To: C19fan
For relative weight reference, it weights a tad more than 66 us Nomitz-class aircraft carriers, that clock in at about 100,000 tons apiece, or 2 billion pounds.
3
posted on
12/03/2018 9:32:29 AM PST
by
Secret Agent Man
(Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
To: Secret Agent Man
I got the figure from Wikipedia. Surprised the estimated mass is so large.
4
posted on
12/03/2018 9:33:59 AM PST
by
C19fan
To: Flick Lives
I bet it ‘collides’ with it, in effect landing - then taking back off.
5
posted on
12/03/2018 9:41:39 AM PST
by
Mr. K
(No consequence of repealing Obamacare is worse than Obamacare itself.)
To: C19fan
Surprised the estimated mass is so large.
One thing I learned manually clearing portions of my property in KY is that rocks are really heavy.:)
To: C19fan
Final Approach to Bennu
This set of images shows the OSIRIS-REx spacecrafts view of Bennu during the final phase of its journey to the asteroid. From Aug. 17 through Nov. 27 the spacecrafts PolyCam camera imaged Bennu almost daily as the spacecraft traveled 1.4 million miles (2.2 million km) toward the asteroid. The final images were obtained from a distance of around 40 miles (65 km). During this period, OSIRIS-REx completed four maneuvers slowing the spacecrafts velocity from approximately 1,100 mph (491 m/sec) to 0.10 mph (0.04 m/sec) relative to Bennu, which resulted in the slower approach speed at the end of the video. Date Taken: Aug. 17 to Nov. 27, 2018
7
posted on
12/03/2018 10:03:39 AM PST
by
dragnet2
(Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
To: dragnet2
The gravity is so weak that if you sneezed you would probably launch yourself right off.
8
posted on
12/03/2018 10:05:37 AM PST
by
Mr. K
(No consequence of repealing Obamacare is worse than Obamacare itself.)
To: SunkenCiv
9
posted on
12/03/2018 10:07:46 AM PST
by
fieldmarshaldj
("It's Slappin' Time !")
To: fieldmarshaldj; 75thOVI; Abathar; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AnalogReigns; AndrewC; ...
Thanks fieldmarshaldj. I've linked a YT vid in the oldest of these topics.
10
posted on
12/03/2018 11:10:02 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(and btw -- https://www.gofundme.com/for-rotator-cuff-repair-surgery)
To: dragnet2
Looks like the asteroid the Japanese visited
11
posted on
12/03/2018 11:15:06 AM PST
by
BenLurkin
(The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
To: SunkenCiv
Dude. They’re talking Russian.
12
posted on
12/03/2018 11:16:49 AM PST
by
BenLurkin
(The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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