NASA asteroid SHOCK: Bennu discovery space scientist’s ‘BIGGEST surprise’

Lori Glaze, acting director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division said: “The first three months of OSIRIS-REx’s up-close investigation of Bennu have reminded us what discovery is all about — surprises, quick thinking, and flexibility.

“We study asteroids like Bennu to learn about the origin of the solar system. OSIRIS-REx’s sample will help us answer some of the biggest questions about where we come from.”

Studying Asteroid Bennu is helping NASA scientists to understand the solar system’s origins, gather data on future asteroid mining and monitor the threat asteroids pose to Earth.

NASA project manager Rich Burns said: “Throughout OSIRIS-REx’s operations near Bennu, our spacecraft and operations team have demonstrated that we can achieve system performance that beats design requirements.

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