por que precisamos de novas regras para a exploração espacial
A primeira expedição humana a Marte pode ocorrer dentro de cinco a dez anos. A tripulação será composta principalmente por voluntários, ...
asteroides gigantes
Muitos empreendimentos relacionados ao espaço – seja transportando astronautas ou lançando sondas exploratórias – já estão em fase de planejamento. A comunidade científica sabe que existem <anchor>asteroides gigantes</anchor> de uma riqueza inestimável em ouro, platina, níquel e outros metais preciosos. Estamos falando de corpos planetóides, como o 16 Psyche, com o potencial bruto de gerar uma riqueza superior à arrecadação da economia global.
NASA's About to Try Grabbing a Chunk of Asteroid to Bring to Earth—and You Can Watch
NASA's About to Try Grabbing a Chunk of Asteroid to Bring to Earth—and You Can Watch

Sign in

- [Topics](https://singularityhub.com/topics/)
  - [AI](/topics/#ai)
  - [Biotech](/topics/#biotech)
  - [Computing](/topics/#computing)
  - [Space](/topics/#space)
  - [Energy](/topics/#energy)
  - [Future](/topics/#future)
  - [Tech](/topics/#tech)
  - [Robotics](/topics/#robotics)
  - [Science](/topics/#science)
- [Experts](https://www.su.org/experts)
- [Events](https://su.org/events/)
- [Videos](https://singularityhub.com/videos/)
  - [Latest](/videos/#latest)
  - [Series](/videos/#series)
  - [Interviews](/videos/#interviews)
- [About](https://singularityhub.com/about/)
- [Singularity](https://su.org/)
  - [About](https://su.org/about/)
  - [Programs](https://su.org/experience/)
  - [Membership](https://su.org/membership)
  - [Experts](https://su.org/experts)
  - [Community](https://su.org/community)
  - [Careers](https://su.org/careers/)
- [Subscribe](https://singularityhub.com/newsletter/)

Sign in

Welcome!Log into your account

your username

your password

Forgot your password?

Password recovery

Recover your password

your email

Search

[![Singularity Hub](https://singularityhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/singularity-hub-logo-ko-300x122-1.png).News and Insights from Singularity Group](https://singularityhub.com/)

search

Search

[Subscribe to our newsletter](/newsletter/ "Subscribe to our newsletter")

- [Singularity](https://su.org)

[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/singularityhub "Facebook")

[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/singularityhub/ "Instagram")

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/singularityhub "Twitter")

[Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/user/singularityu "Youtube")

[![Singularity Hub](https://singularityhub.com/uploads/2022/09/singularityhub_horiz_w.webp)Singularity HubNews and Insights from Singularity Group](https://singularityhub.com/)

- [Topics](https://singularityhub.com/topics/)
- [Experts](https://www.su.org/experts)
- [Events](https://su.org/events/)
- [Videos](https://singularityhub.com/videos/)

search

Search

- [Singularity](https://su.org)

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Youtube

[![Singularity Hub](https://singularityhub.com/uploads/2022/09/singularityhub_horiz_w.webp)Singularity HubNews and Insights from Singularity Group](https://singularityhub.com/)

- [Topics](https://singularityhub.com/topics/)
- [Experts](https://www.su.org/experts)
- [Events](https://su.org/events/)
- [Videos](https://singularityhub.com/videos/)

search

Search

# NASA’s About to Try Grabbing a Chunk of Asteroid to Bring to Earth—and You Can Watch

[![Vanessa Bates Ramirez](https://singularityhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Vanessa-Bates-Ramirez_avatar_1521653158-30x30.jpg)](https://singularityhub.com/author/vbatesramirez/ "Vanessa Bates Ramirez")

By [Vanessa Bates Ramirez](https://singularityhub.com/author/vbatesramirez/)

October 16, 2020

[![OSIRIS-REx spacecraft near asteroid in space NASA](https://singularityhub.com/uploads/2020/10/OSIRIS-REx-asteroid-spacecraft-NASA-696x392.jpg)](https://singularityhub.com/uploads/2020/10/OSIRIS-REx-asteroid-spacecraft-NASA.jpg)

If you’ve seen the movie _The Martian_, you no doubt remember the rescue scene, in which (spoiler alert!) Matt Damon launches himself off Mars in a stripped-down rocket in hopes of his carefully-calculated trajectory taking him just close enough to his crew for them to pluck him from the void of outer space and bring him safely home to Earth. There’s a multitude of complex physics involved, and who knows how true-to-science the scene is, but getting the details right to successfully grab something in [space](https://singularityhub.com/tag/space/) certainly isn’t easy.

So it will be fascinating to watch NASA aim to do just that, as its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft attempts to pocket a fistful of rock and dust from an asteroid called Bennu then ferry it back to Earth—with the whole endeavor [broadcast live](https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive) on NASA’s website starting Tuesday, October 20 at 5pm Eastern time. Here are some details to know in advance.

### The Asteroid

Bennu’s full name is [101955 Bennu](https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/101955-bennu/in-depth/), and it’s close enough to Earth to be classified as a near-Earth object, or NEO—that means it orbits within 1.3 AU of the sun. An [AU is equivalent](https://www.asteroidmission.org/why-bennu/) to the distance between Earth and the sun, which is about 93 million miles. The asteroid orbits the sun at an average distance of 105 million miles, which is just (“just” being a relative term here!) 12 million miles farther than Earth’s average orbital distance from the sun.

Every six years, Bennu comes closer to Earth, getting to within 0.002 AU. Scientists say this means there’s a high likelihood the asteroid could impact Earth sometime in the late 22nd century. Luckily, an international team is already [on the case](https://singularityhub.com/2020/09/27/the-worlds-space-agencies-are-on-a-quest-to-deflect-an-asteroid/) (plus, due to Bennu’s size and composition, it likely wouldn’t do any harm).

Bennu isn’t solid, but rather a loose clump of rock and dust whose density varies across its area (in fact, up to 40 percent of it might just be empty space!). Its shape is more similar to a spinning top than a basketball or other orb, and it’s not very big—about a third of a mile wide at its widest point. Since it’s small, it spins pretty fast, doing a full rotation on its axis in less than four and a half hours. That fast spinning also means it’s likely to eject material once in a while, with chunks or rock and other regolith dislodging and being flung into space.

### The Spacecraft

[OSIRIS-REx](https://www.asteroidmission.org/) stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer. Yeah—that’s a lot. It’s the size of a large van (bigger than a minivan, smaller than a bus), and looks sort of like a box with wings and one long arm. It’s been orbiting Bennu for about two years (since 2018) after taking two years to get there (it was launched in 2016).

The spacecraft’s “arm” is called TAGSAM, which stands for Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism. It’s 11 feet long and has a round collection chamber attached to its end.

OSIRIS-REx doesn’t have any legs to land on, but that’s for a good reason: landing isn’t part of the plan. Which brings us to…

### The Plan

As far as plans go, this one is pretty cool. The spacecraft will approach the asteroid, and its arm will reach out to tap the surface. A pressurized canister will shoot out some nitrogen gas to try to dislodge some dust and rock from Bennu, and the collection chamber on the spacecraft’s arm will open up to grab whatever it can; scientists are hoping to get at least 60 grams’ worth of material (that’s only [4 tablespoons](https://mainfacts.com/convert-grams-to-tablespoons)! It’s less than the cup of yogurt you eat in the morning!).

And that’s not even the wildest detail; if the mission goes as planned and OSIRIS-REx scoops up those four tablespoons of precious cargo, scientists on Earth still won’t see them for almost _three more years_; the spacecraft is scheduled for a parachute landing in the Utah desert on September 24, 2023.

The NASA team working on this project thinks it’s likely they’ll find organic material in the sample collection, and it may even give them clues to the origins of life on Earth.

Does the mission have better odds of success than Matt Damon’s rescue in _The Martian_? [Tune in](https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive) on Tuesday to see for yourself.

_Image Credit: [NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-broadcast-osiris-rex-asteroid-sample-collection-activities)_

- Tags
- [Space](https://singularityhub.com/tag/space/)

Share

[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsingularityhub.com%2F2020%2F10%2F16%2Fnasas-about-to-try-grabbing-a-piece-of-asteroid-to-bring-to-earth-and-you-can-watch%2F "Facebook") [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=NASA%E2%80%99s+About+to+Try+Grabbing+a+Chunk+of+Asteroid+to+Bring+to+Earth%E2%80%94and+You+Can+Watch&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsingularityhub.com%2F2020%2F10%2F16%2Fnasas-about-to-try-grabbing-a-piece-of-asteroid-to-bring-to-earth-and-you-can-watch%2F&via=Singularity+Hub "Twitter") [ReddIt](https://reddit.com/submit?url=https://singularityhub.com/2020/10/16/nasas-about-to-try-grabbing-a-piece-of-asteroid-to-bring-to-earth-and-you-can-watch/&title=NASA%E2%80%99s+About+to+Try+Grabbing+a+Chunk+of+Asteroid+to+Bring+to+Earth%E2%80%94and+You+Can+Watch "ReddIt") [Email](mailto:?subject=NASA’s About to Try Grabbing a Chunk of Asteroid to Bring to Earth—and You Can Watch&body=https://singularityhub.com/2020/10/16/nasas-about-to-try-grabbing-a-piece-of-asteroid-to-bring-to-earth-and-you-can-watch/ "Email") [Copy URL](https://singularityhub.com/2020/10/16/nasas-about-to-try-grabbing-a-piece-of-asteroid-to-bring-to-earth-and-you-can-watch/ "Copy URL")

[![Vanessa Bates Ramirez](https://singularityhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Vanessa-Bates-Ramirez_avatar_1521653158-160x160.jpg)](https://singularityhub.com/author/vbatesramirez/ "Vanessa Bates Ramirez")

[Vanessa Bates Ramirez](https://singularityhub.com/author/vbatesramirez/)

Vanessa is senior editor of Singularity Hub. She's interested in biotechnology and genetic engineering, the nitty-gritty of the renewable energy transition, the roles technology and science play in geopolitics and international development, and countless other topics.

[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/vanessabatesramirezwriter/ "Facebook")[Twitter](https://twitter.com/vanessabramirez "Twitter")

RELATED

[Life on Alien Planets Probably Wouldn’t Experience Day and Night—Here’s How That May Change Evolution](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/10/life-on-alien-planets-probably-wouldnt-experience-day-and-night-heres-how-that-may-change-evolution/ "Life on Alien Planets Probably Wouldn’t Experience Day and Night—Here’s How That May Change Evolution")

### [Life on Alien Planets Probably Wouldn’t Experience Day and Night—Here’s How That May Change Evolution](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/10/life-on-alien-planets-probably-wouldnt-experience-day-and-night-heres-how-that-may-change-evolution/ "Life on Alien Planets Probably Wouldn’t Experience Day and Night—Here’s How That May Change Evolution")

September 10, 2024

[The SpaceX Polaris Dawn Mission Will Show Us How Spaceflight Transforms the Body](https://singularityhub.com/2024/08/26/the-spacex-polaris-dawn-mission-will-show-us-how-spaceflight-transforms-the-body/ "The SpaceX Polaris Dawn Mission Will Show Us How Spaceflight Transforms the Body")

### [The SpaceX Polaris Dawn Mission Will Show Us How Spaceflight Transforms the Body](https://singularityhub.com/2024/08/26/the-spacex-polaris-dawn-mission-will-show-us-how-spaceflight-transforms-the-body/ "The SpaceX Polaris Dawn Mission Will Show Us How Spaceflight Transforms the Body")

August 26, 2024

[Black Hole Sun: Watch a Star Get Torn to Shreds by a Supermassive Black Hole](https://singularityhub.com/2024/08/20/black-hole-sun-watch-a-star-get-torn-to-shreds-by-a-supermassive-black-hole/ "Black Hole Sun: Watch a Star Get Torn to Shreds by a Supermassive Black Hole")

### [Black Hole Sun: Watch a Star Get Torn to Shreds by a Supermassive Black Hole](https://singularityhub.com/2024/08/20/black-hole-sun-watch-a-star-get-torn-to-shreds-by-a-supermassive-black-hole/ "Black Hole Sun: Watch a Star Get Torn to Shreds by a Supermassive Black Hole")

August 20, 2024

latest

[UK Gives Sneak Peek of a Novel Fusion Reactor Shaped Like a Cored Apple](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/12/uk-gives-sneak-peek-of-a-novel-fusion-reactor-shaped-like-a-cored-apple/ "UK Gives Sneak Peek of a Novel Fusion Reactor Shaped Like a Cored Apple")

### [UK Gives Sneak Peek of a Novel Fusion Reactor Shaped Like a Cored Apple](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/12/uk-gives-sneak-peek-of-a-novel-fusion-reactor-shaped-like-a-cored-apple/ "UK Gives Sneak Peek of a Novel Fusion Reactor Shaped Like a Cored Apple")

September 12, 2024

[Life on Alien Planets Probably Wouldn’t Experience Day and Night—Here’s How That May Change Evolution](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/10/life-on-alien-planets-probably-wouldnt-experience-day-and-night-heres-how-that-may-change-evolution/ "Life on Alien Planets Probably Wouldn’t Experience Day and Night—Here’s How That May Change Evolution")

### [Life on Alien Planets Probably Wouldn’t Experience Day and Night—Here’s How That May Change Evolution](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/10/life-on-alien-planets-probably-wouldnt-experience-day-and-night-heres-how-that-may-change-evolution/ "Life on Alien Planets Probably Wouldn’t Experience Day and Night—Here’s How That May Change Evolution")

September 10, 2024

[Meta Looks to Next-Gen Geothermal to Fuel Ravenous Data Centers](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/09/meta-looks-to-next-gen-geothermal-to-fuel-increasingly-ravenous-data-centers/ "Meta Looks to Next-Gen Geothermal to Fuel Ravenous Data Centers")

### [Meta Looks to Next-Gen Geothermal to Fuel Ravenous Data Centers](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/09/meta-looks-to-next-gen-geothermal-to-fuel-increasingly-ravenous-data-centers/ "Meta Looks to Next-Gen Geothermal to Fuel Ravenous Data Centers")

September 9, 2024

Don't miss a trend

Get Hub delivered to your inbox

#### featured

[A New Brain Mapping Study Reveals Depression’s Signature in the Brain](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/06/a-brain-signature-of-depression-revealed-by-new-brain-mapping-study/ "A New Brain Mapping Study Reveals Depression’s Signature in the Brain")

### [A New Brain Mapping Study Reveals Depression’s Signature in the Brain](https://singularityhub.com/2024/09/06/a-brain-signature-of-depression-revealed-by-new-brain-mapping-study/ "A New Brain Mapping Study Reveals Depression’s Signature in the Brain")

September 6, 2024

Load more

[![Singularity Hub](https://singularityhub.com/uploads/2022/09/Singularity-Logo-Gradient-2.png)Singularity HubNews and Insights from Singularity Group](https://su.org/)

Singularity Hub

- [About](https://singularityhub.com/about/)
- [Creative Commons](/tag/creative-commons/)
- [Pitch Us](https://singularityhub.com/pitch-us/)
- [Contact Us](https://singularityhub.com/contact-us/)
- [Terms of Use](https://su.org/terms-of-use/)
- [Privacy Policy](https://su.org/privacy-policy/)

Singularity

- [About](https://su.org/about-us/)
- [Executive Program](https://www.su.org/executive-program)
- [Custom Programs](https://www.su.org/enterprise)
- [Insights](https://www.su.org/resources)

Stay connected

[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/singularityhub "Facebook")

[Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/singularityhub/ "Instagram")

[RSS](/feed/ "RSS")

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/singularityhub "Twitter")

[Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/user/singularityu "Youtube")

Get the latest news from Singularity Hub!

[Sign Up](/newsletter/ "Sign Up")

Copyright © Singularity. All rights reserved.