![]() ![]() “Our ability to do this is very dependent upon our understanding of the construction of these objects, how they are put together and how they respond to energetic events,” Bierhaus said. “By studying rubble-pile asteroids, we are not only gaining insight into the history and evolution of the solar system, but also into our potential ability to protect Earth.” Youngest surface in the solar systemīennu has offered other surprises as well. When analyzing the characteristics and distribution of the asteroid’s craters, the scientists realized that unlike the moon, Bennu doesn’t keep a very long record of its past encounters. On average, traces of past events are wiped out every few million years, and while the asteroid itself is up to a billion years old, its constantly changing surface is relatively young. “Based on the observed crater population, you can estimate the age of the surface,” Bierhaus said. “For Bennu, we got something like 2 million years, and that is remarkable. It’s one of the youngest crater-derived surface ages we’ve seen in the solar system.At a news conference on August 11, 2021, NASA scientists said there is a 1-in-1,750 chance that asteroid Bennu could collide with Earth between now and the year 2300. ![]() The greatest chance in the next 300 years will come on September 24, 2182. Planetary scientist Lindley Johnson of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office said at Wednesday’s press briefing: The estimates suggest a slightly greater chance than previously, but scientists say they are not worried. I don’t think we need to do anything about Bennu. Still, Bennu and another asteroid known as (29075) 1950 DA remain the two most hazardous asteroids to Earth, as far as scientists know at this time. If you could live forever, would you? Review: Edward, the … Next Post If Roaches Formed a Miniature Civilization… Sci-fi Saturday “Rocket Roaches” (2019) at DUST by Mick Mahler (August 13, 2021, 9:44 min) When the diligent cockroaches build a rocket to fly to the moon, they accidentally wake up one of the last humans from his virtual dreams.NASA was concerned enough about Bennu that it sent a spacecraft to the asteroid. Previous Post Android Asks, Is Immortality Truly a Benefit? - Sci-fi Saturday “Extent” (2018) at DUST by Paul Michael Draper (August 9, 2021, 12:43 min) Time stands still as two old friends attempt to grapple with a question that defines their very existence. Mind Matters News Breaking and noteworthy news from the exciting world of natural and artificial intelligence at MindMatters.ai. You may also wish to read: Could huge chunks of asteroid gold wreck our economy? 16 Psyche’s gold illustrates how AI affects jobs. Meanwhile, there is this one:Īn asteroid lingers near Earth and devours time (13:23 min) Or, at any rate, it devours our perception of time, as one man discovers in “Flyby.” As the asteroid Chrono-7 hazes Earth, a man wakes up in the morning to find that he is living in his future, one he had never imagined. Maybe the possibility of an asteroid hit will generate more post-asteroid apocalypse sci-fi. An asteroid hit is believed to have wiped out the dinosaurs and many other types of life forms 66 million years ago. NASA has catalogued 26,000 near-Earth asteroids so far. Meghan Bartels, “ Scientists fine-tune odds of asteroid Bennu hitting Earth through 2300 with NASA probe’s help” at (August 11, 2021)Ī paper discussing the Osiris Rex’s findings is open access. ![]() How precisely that dance plays out will shape Bennu’s trajectory over the next decades and centuries. In September of that year, Bennu will swing past Earth - not close enough that there’s any risk of an impact, but certainly close enough that Earth’s gravity could nudge the asteroid a bit on its path. However, despite the scientists’ best efforts, predicting Bennu’s course after 2135 is still tricky. That uncertainty remains even in the new and improved models of Bennu’s future path, but with the OSIRIS-REx observations, scientists were able to dramatically reduce their uncertainty about Bennu’s fate… Scientists’ models of asteroid trajectories always include some degree of uncertainty, since a multitude of forces tug at a space rock as it rattles around the inner solar system. ![]()
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