OSIRIS Rex Spacecraft Has Found Water on Bennu, Says NASA

Anurag Sharma
Anurag Sharma

Updated · Dec 15, 2018

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A few weeks back, NASA had announced that the OSIRIS Rex spacecraft has reached near Bennu, one of the most anticipated celestial objects in the universe. According to the latest report from the space agency, the spacecraft has managed to detect the presence of water inside clay that was found on the surface of Bennu. It should be noted that Bennu is situated 1.4 Million miles away from the Earth.

“The presence of hydrated minerals across the asteroid confirms that Bennu, a remnant from early in the formation of the solar system, is an excellent specimen for the OSIRIS-REx mission to study the composition of primitive volatiles and organics,” reads the official news release from NASA. It is clear that the agency has high hopes for the spacecraft, which has travelled a huge distance to reach the celestial object.

“When samples of this material are returned by the mission to Earth in 2023, scientists will receive a treasure trove of new information about the history and evolution of our solar system,” added the news release. The main objective of OSIRIS Rex is to collect samples from the destination — which would in turn help in the entire process of resolving the mysteries of universe evolution.

This, however, does not mean that the asteroid is the complete friend of the Earth. There have been reports that the asteroid will be moving towards the Earth in a dangerous path, causing issues at different levels. The NASA team is already doing a lot to prevent a potential threat, in case if the huge asteroid takes that path in 2135.

NASA says that the Bennu asteroid is the best celestial object for exploration aspect. The agency says that the asteroid is of the right size and is old enough to contain some of the earliest samples. The detailed study would start only when OSIRIX Rex reaches back to earth.

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Anurag Sharma

Anurag Sharma

He has been helping in business of varied scales, with key strategic decisions. He is a specialist in healthcare, medical devices, and life-science, and has accurately predicted the trends in the market. Anurag is a fervent traveller, and is passionate in exploring untouched places and locations. In his free time, he loves to introspect and plan ahead.