OSIRIS-REx Spots Particle Plumes Erupting on Asteroid Bennu

NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission made the first-ever close-up observations of particle plumes erupting from the surface of an asteroid.

This view of asteroid Bennu ejecting particles from its surface on January 19 was created by combining two images taken on board NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Image credit: NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona / Lockheed Martin.

This view of asteroid Bennu ejecting particles from its surface on January 19 was created by combining two images taken on board NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Image credit: NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona / Lockheed Martin.

“The discovery of plumes is one of the biggest surprises of my scientific career,” said OSIRIS-REx principal investigator Dr. Dante Lauretta, a researcher at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

“Bennu is already surprising us, and our exciting journey there is just getting started.”

Shortly after the discovery of the particle plumes, Dr. Lauretta and colleagues increased the frequency of observations, and subsequently detected additional plumes during the following two months.

Although many of the particles were ejected clear of Bennu, the researchers tracked some particles that orbited the asteroid as satellites before returning to its surface.

They initially spotted the particle plumes in images while the spacecraft was orbiting Bennu at a distance of about one mile (1.61 km).

Following a safety assessment, they concluded the particles did not pose a risk to the spacecraft.

The team continues to analyze the particle plumes and their possible causes.

“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,” said Dr. Lori Glaze, acting director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

“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.”

The scientists presented the results this week at the 50th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas, and in a paper in the journal Nature Communications.

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C.W. Hergenrother et al. 2019. The operational environment and rotational acceleration of asteroid (101955) Bennu from OSIRIS-REx observations. Nature Communications 10, article number: 1291; doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-09213-x

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