NASA’sOSIRIS - RExhas successfully completed a close arena around asteroid Bennu , smashing the record for smallest physical object ever orbit by a ballistic capsule , as well as the track record for closest electron orbit . Bennu is just 492 meters ( 1,614 feet ) in diam , and the space vehicle is just 1.75 kilometers ( 1.09 miles ) from the center of the asteroid .
OSIRIS - REx has now begun thenext phase of its mission . It will continue to represent the control surface of the asteroid in detail , hit the books its composition , and help researchers identify the best place for the investigation to come down and collect a sample distribution of Bennu . Once that happens , OSIRIS - REx will then vanish back to Earth where it will get in back in 2023 .
“ go in sphere around Bennu is an amazing accomplishment that our squad has been planning for years . The squad go on our longsighted string of successes by executing the orbital cavity - insertion maneuver perfectly , ” Dante Lauretta , OSIRIS - king principal detective at the University of Arizona , enjoin in astatement .
“ With the navigation military campaign coming to an end , we are wait forward to the scientific function and sample website extract form of the mission . ”
produce the investigation into this near orbit is not an easy project . Bennu ’s gravity is extremely weakly , about 5 - millionth of Earth ’s own , so other force like the solar radiation and thermic press from Bennu ’s surface are no longer negligible . The OSIRIS - REx navigation team used simulations from the most late data to work out the best possible ambit and they are ready to do small manoeuvre to keep the craft on a stable orbit . If something unexpected hap , OSIRIS - king is simply programmed to fly forth .
“ It ’s simple system of logic : always burn toward the Sun if something goes unseasonable , ” explained Coralie Adam , OSIRIS - REx pass ocular navigation engineer at KinetX. While it is crucial to be train , Adam explained that gratefully this scenario is very unlikely to really occur .
The Orbital phase angle will take into account researchers to improve mass and gravity estimation of Bennu . This will be done by tracking precisely how OSIRIS - king ’s flight is influenced by the asteroid . The datum will also play a part in the short touchdown for sample collecting that will befall in the summer of 2020 .
