OSIRIS-REx Bennu Impact Probability – Media Telecon

Visualization depicting the 2135 Bennu-Earth flyby. Bennu’s orbit is represented in white. Earth’s orbit is represented in light blue. Visualization depicting the 2182 Bennu-Earth flyby. Bennu’s location in 2182 will vary depending on how the 2135 flyby occurs. Two representations of Bennu are depicted. The white dot represents an Earth-miss and the grey dot represents an extremely unlikely (1:2700 or 0.037% chance) Earth impact. Earth’s orbit is represented in light blue. On September 25, 2135, an asteroid called Bennu will make a close flyby of Earth. Our planet’s gravity will tweak Bennu’s path, making it a challenge to calculate its future trajectory. During the flyby, there is an extremely small chance that Bennu will pass through a “gravitational keyhole” – a region of space that would set it on just the right path to impact Earth, late in the 22nd century. Although it is difficult to determine the odds of this actually happening, new data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft have allowed scientists to better model how Bennu’s orbit will evolve over time, and to better calculate the probability of an impact. Now, a new paper from the OSIRIS-REx science team gives Bennu a 1:2700 (0.037%) chance of impacting Earth on September 24, 2182. Related pages

OSIRIS-REx is improving our understanding of asteroid Bennu’s future impact hazard.Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Time Particles” by Laetitia FrenodWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. On September 25, 2135, an asteroid called Bennu will make a close flyby of Earth. Our planet’s gravity will tweak Bennu’s path, making it a challenge to calculate its future trajectory. During the flyby, there is an extremely small chance that Bennu will pass through a “gravitational keyhole” – a region of space that would set it on just the right path to impact Earth, late in the 22nd century.Although it is difficult to determine the odds of this actually happening, new data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft have allowed scientists to better model how Bennu’s orbit will evolve over time, and to better calculate the probability of an impact. Now, a new paper from the OSIRIS-REx science team gives Bennu a 1:2700 (0.037%) chance of impacting Earth on September 24, 2182.Learn more about asteroid Bennu's updated impact hazard. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-spacecraft-provides-insight-into-asteroid-bennu-s-future-orbit/) Related pages

Asteroid Bennu Impact Hazard Animations Asteroid Bennu Impact Hazard Animations: Spanish-language version Still image: Asteroid Bennu approaches potential gravitational keyholes with Earth. On September 25, 2135, an asteroid called Bennu will make a close flyby of Earth. Our planet’s gravity will tweak Bennu’s path, making it a challenge to calculate its future trajectory and the odds of a potential impact late in the 22nd century. This media resource page provides broadcast-quality animations related to asteroid Bennu’s impact hazard. Learn more from NASA.Watch the produced video on the NASA Goddard YouTube Channel. For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-spacecraft-provides-insight-into-asteroid-bennu-s-future-orbit) Related pages

OFFICIAL SELECTION – 2022 SIGGRAPH COMPUTER ANIMATION FESTIVALOver the course of two-and-a-half years, OSIRIS-REx wrapped asteroid Bennu in a complex web of observations. Complete transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Visionary” by Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra; “Babel” by Max Cameron ConcorsWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. 360° VERSION — Experience the “Web Around Asteroid Bennu” in this interactive, 360° video, optimized for mobile devices and desktop browsers. Transcript available.Universal Production Music: “Visionary” by Andy Blythe and Marten Joustra; “Babel” by Max Cameron ConcorsWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. STILL IMAGE – OSIRIS-REx briefly touched down on asteroid Bennu on October 20, 2020 and collected a sample for return to Earth. 101955 Bennu is one of Earth’s closest planetary neighbors – an asteroid roughly the height of a skyscraper, and since late 2018, the place that NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has called home. When OSIRIS-REx arrived on December 3, 2018, it began wrapping Bennu in a complex web of observations. OSIRIS-REx departed Bennu on May 10, 2021 on a return voyage to Earth, bringing with it over 60 grams of sample collected from the asteroid. This narrated video presents the mission’s complete trajectory during its time at Bennu.Data provided by: NASA/University of Arizona/CSA/York University/Open University/MDA For More InformationSee [NASA.gov](https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex) Related pages

OSIRIS-REx approaches Bennu TAG Arm Deploy TAG Arm Deploy Reverse OSIRIS-REx desending to Bennu OSIRIS-REx approach continued TAGSAM getting closer OSIRIS-REx almost there Contact OSIRIS-REx Pulls away TAG Maneuver Interior Cutaway OSIRIS-REx backs away from Bennu Sample Verification OCAMS SamCam Sample Verification OCAMS Sam Cam 2 Sample Mass Measurement Sample Stowage Sequence Sample Stowage Sequence Closeup OSIRIS-REx Stows the TAG Arm Returning to Earth After nine months in orbit around asteroid Bennu, OSIRIS-REx will begin the process of maneuvering closer to the surface in preparation of the sample collection event. Once the sample site has been selected, OSIRIS-REx will break from its polar orbit to practice three flyovers of the site at increasing proximities, eventually matching Bennu's speed and rotation. The narrow-angle PolyCam will image the sample site at sub-centimeter resolution during these close passes.When OSIRIS-REx is ready, it will slowly descend to Bennu's surface at a few centimeters per second. Its outstretched arm will touch down and blow high-pressure nitrogen gas into Bennu's soil. This will force loose dust, dirt, and rocks upward into the TAGSAM head, trapping the material inside. OSIRIS-REx will then weigh and stow the captured sample for return to Earth in 2023. Related pages

OSIRIS-REx returns to Earth with its sample of asteroid Bennu. After releasing the sample return capsule on September 24, 2023, the spacecraft will go into orbit around the Sun.Watch this video on the NASA.gov Video YouTube channel. SRC arrives back at Earth SRC seperates from OSIRIS-REx SRC heading towards Earth SRC ReEntry Heading towards landing site Parachute deploys SRC desending Touchdown Transport Sample Open Capsule On September 24, 2023, OSIRIS-REx will return its sample of asteroid Bennu to Earth. The sample return capsule will detach from the spacecraft, perform an entry, descent and landing sequence, and touch down at the UTTR facility in Utah. The Bennu samples will be taken to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for curation, and will be studied by scientists around the world for decades to come. Related pages

Rotating asteroids have a tough time sticking to their orbits. Their surfaces heat up during the day and cool down at night, giving off radiation that can act as a sort of mini-thruster. This force, called the Yarkovsky effect, can cause rotating asteroids to drift widely over time, making it hard for scientists to predict their long-term risk to Earth. Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.For complete transcript, click here. ANIMATION - Sunlight alters the orbit of a rotating asteroid via the Yarkovsky effect. Near-Earth asteroids like Bennu pose a potential danger to our planet, so it's important to predict their orbits with great accuracy. Unfortunately, a phenomenon called the Yarkovsky effect can make these predictions difficult over long time periods. How does this effect work?When sunlight strikes a rotating asteroid, the dayside heats up; as the asteroid turns, the night side cools and releases the heat, exerting a small thrust that can change the asteroid's direction over time. In order to learn more about this process on asteroid Bennu, NASA is sending a spacecraft called OSIRIS-REx to make detailed observations of Bennu's shape, brightness, and surface features. These factors are thought to influence the Yarkovsky effect, and understanding how will enable scientists to better predict the orbit of Bennu and other near-Earth asteroids. For More InformationSee [http://www.asteroidmission.org/](http://www.asteroidmission.org/) Related pages