All about asteroid Bennu, a ticking n-bomb that could destroy Earth and NASA’s mission to prevent it

Asteroid Bennu, named after an ancient Egyptian mythological bird, that is associated with the Sun, creation and rebirth has been predicted to hit the Earth by NASA.

This undated image provided by NASA shows the asteroid Bennu seen from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. On Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will fly by Earth and drop off what is expected to be at least a cupful of rubble it grabbed from Bennu, closing out a seven-year quest. (AP via NASA)

In order to protect the planet and hopefully avert the crisis the space research centre sent an asteroid study and sample return mission named OSIRIS-REx in 2016, to collect a sample from the asteroid and study it’s origin.

The ticking n-bomb Bennu

According to scientists, Bennu which is taller than the Empire State Building and 510 meters wide- could release 1,2000 megatons of energy if it hit Earth, i.e. 24 times more powerful than the most powerful nuclear weapon ever built.

Calculations state that if the collision happened it would occur in the late 2100s and early 2200s, with the single likeliest impact coming on the afternoon of September 24, 2182.

NASA states that the odds of the collision happening are 1 in 1,750 by the year 2300 or 0.05%

While Bennu’s chances of collision with Earth may have been termed as less likely by NASA for now, it has been categorized as a “potentially hax=zardous asteroid” that could come as near as 4.65 million miles from Earth.

“Although the chances of it hitting Earth are very low, Bennu remains one of the two most hazardous known asteroids in our solar system, along with another asteroid called 1950 DA,” explained NASA.

Bennu was formed in the first 10 million years of the solar system’s history- over 4.5 billion years ago.

Touchdown of the asteroid Bennu samples

OSIRIS-REx, a spacecraft was sent to the asteroid Bennu in 2016, in order to collect a sample.

Today, on September 24, 2023, Sunday, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft released the nine ounces of samples of the asteroid that is supposed to make a touchdown in the Utah desert.

This is the culmination of a seven-year journey, as the capsule was released from a distance of 63,000 miles while flying past the earth and will be parachuting down onto the military’s Utah Test and Training Range, four hours later.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the samples should “help us better understand the types of asteroids that could threaten Earth” and cast light “on the earliest history of our solar system.”

The samples will be taken by a helicopter to a temporary clean room and on Monday will be flown to the laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA scientist Amy Simon said, “This sample return is really historic.”

“This is going to be the biggest sample we’ve brought back since the Apollo moon rocks” were returned to Earth.

NASA plans to announce the results of the study in a news conference to be held on October 11, 2023.

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