Last January , NASA ’s OSIRIS - REx broke the platter forthe smallest object ever orbited by a spacecraft , as it journey around asteroid Bennu , which is only 492 metre ( 1,614 feet ) in diameter . It also smashed the record for the closest orbit , reaching just 1.75 kilometers ( 1.09 miles ) from its center . The spacecraft has now move even nigher .
Last hebdomad , OSIRIS - REx executed its 2nd orbital insertion manoeuvre , reaching a peak above Bennu ’s surface of just 690 meters ( 2,264 feet ) , or 0.6 kilometers ( 0.4 miles ) . One of the three sailing cameras on the space vehicle , NavCam1 , click theclosest film yetof the asteroid , detailing its now infamous and prominent bowlder in the southern hemisphere .
While the entire asteroid is an aggregation of crushed rock and rocks loosely held together by gravity , the bowlder is much larger , estimated between 10 - 20 measure ( 33 to 66 feet ) across . Another important characteristic is the presence of an equatorial rooftree . Researchers believe that due to its profligate rotary motion and down in the mouth gravity loose soil , otherwise jazz as the regolith , roll up there .
The regolith is the mission ’s target , as next summer OSIRIS - male monarch will aviate down to the surface , lift out up a sampling , and take it back to Earth . Before it can do that , researchers ask to have a precise map of the asteroid to find the most promising web site to collect material from .
Bennu ’s gravity is extremely weak , about five - millionth of what we get on Earth , so the OSIRIS - male monarch team has to be on the ball when it comes to the probe ’s orbital parameter . They forever perform small manoeuvre to correct for issue such as the pressure from sunlight and even the high temperature emitted by the asteroid . And if something unexpected happens , OSIRIS - REx is programme to fly away towards the Sun ( although nobody expects that to go on ) .
The never-ending wakefulness surround the spacecraft ’s orbit is not just for safety equipment . The team is using it to forge out both the gravity and the spate of the asteroid , which is why the orbital phase is crucial for the mission . During these next few calendar month , the squad will be selecting a place for the investigation ’s feeling - and - go landing place , so detailed knowledge of the object ’s sobriety is crucial . OSIRIS - REx is expected to get in back home with its sample distribution in 2023 .
