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The probe that NASA sent to the Bennu meteorite to take samples has made an interesting discovery. Although it was claimed that the interior of the meteorite was officially empty, it was learned that the space in the center was the size of some football fields.
The OSIRIS-REx probe, which NASA teams sent to the Bennu meteorite to collect samples, successfully completed the historic mission.
An interesting discovery was made thanks to the vehicle sent to collect at least 60 grams of samples from the surface. According to Business Insider reports, the examination revealed that the interior of the meteorite was empty, so to speak.
The fact that the collected samples were much softer than expected and the surface the vehicle was built on started to collapse reinforced this claim.
Professor Daniel Scheers from the Department of Aeronautical Engineering Sciences, who made statements on the subject, said: “It’s like there is a space in the center of the asteroid, you can put some football fields in this space.”
In recent weeks, scientists have determined that the asteroid contains the chemical building blocks of life and was once part of a much larger water-covered asteroid.
The research in question revealed that the meteorite’s core is weaker than the surface. The same research also established that Bennu’s composition could lead to his demise in a relatively short time.
NASA wants to shoot Bennu with a nuclear weapon
The asteroid “Bennu”, which was moving towards our planet at the speed of 101 thousand kilometers per hour, set the American Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in motion.
By evaluating Bennu, who is about 500 meters tall, in the “risky” category, NASA has developed two plans to prevent a possible disaster.
According to the American press, NASA’s priority plan is to change Bennu’s course. It is claimed that the spacecraft named Hammer, which weighs 8.8 tons, can be hit by the asteroid and its direction can be changed.
NASA’s second plan is to use nuclear weapons. In this option, the spacecraft will be equipped with a nuclear weapon and Bennu will be shot and destroyed while at a great distance from Earth.
Physicist who worked on the project, Kirsten Howley, said in a statement to the US press that the likelihood of Bennu hitting our planet in 2135 is low for now, but stressed that NASA is already working on it.
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