You may or may not have heard that there is a rather large asteroid orbiting the sun that scientists fear may one day collide with our planet. This asteroid, named Bennu, was first discovered in 1999 and can be seen from Earth every six years as it crosses our planet’s orbit. But, the problem is that it in 2135 Bennu is expected to pass between the Earth and the moon and experts are concerned that as this happens it could cause major problems for us Earthlings. So, in a bid to protect us all, NASA have planned a mission to the asteroid to gather more crucial data that may just save our planet.
Bennu is predicted to be around 500m in diameter and travels at around 63,000mph as it orbits the sun. Professor of planetary science at Arizona University, Dante Lauretta claims that the fly by that is due to occur in 2135 is going to affect Bennu’s orbit and potentially cause it to head for Earth later in that century. If an asteroid of that size were to hit our planet at those kinds of speeds it would cause great pain and suffering to many.
But, with the mission all ready to go and the launch date set for September, the probe will bring valuable information back to NASA scientists in the form of rock samples. Once the team have studied the rocks they will be able to determine the asteroid’s size, mass and composition which is essential if they are to devise a plan in which to stop the possible future collision from taking place. The probe will spend a whole year inspecting Bennu’s chemical makeup, mineralogy and geologic history before returning to Earth for 2023 when all will be revealed and further plans will be made in how to combat the potential collision with the asteroid.
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