【Switzerland adult】

A NASA probe speeding through the solar system has captured its first image of the asteroid Bennu,Switzerland adult which the space agency will try to land on in 2020.

Once that happens, the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is designed to collect up to 4.4 pounds of ancient space rock, seal the minerals in a capsule, and blast the capsule back to Earth. If all goes as planned, the canister will drop down into the Utah desert in 2023.

SEE ALSO: A 12-mile, underground lake may have been found on Mars. What could live there?

The space probe captured its first image of Bennu from 1.4 million miles away, which is pretty close as far as space distances go (this is about six times the distance between the Earth and moon). But as shown below, the asteroid is still too distant to make out any features or details. It looks like a fuzzy, spinning white dot.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

In early December, the probe will begin to orbit quite close to the small asteroid, 4.5 miles (7 kilometers) from the surface. As the craft slowly circles Bennu at just 0.1 mph, NASA scientists will map its rocky surface, scouring the terrain for a suitable landing spot

Why is NASA visiting this small asteroid?

Compared to many of the 780,000 known asteroids in our solar system, Bennu is pretty small. But it's quite interesting.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

For one, Bennu might contain valuable resources that can be used for future deep space exploration, Dante Lauretta, the OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, Tucson, said in a press call.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Lauretta is interested in whether Bennu holds clay deposits, because embedded in clay is water. And water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, two necessary components for rocket fuel.

One day, perhaps, Bennu may serve as a "fuel depot" in space, said Lauretta.

Bennu is also believed to be a well-preserved, ancient asteroid, containing cosmic fragments older than our solar system. Understanding how Bennu formed, and the mish-mash of space materials it's made of, will likely improve astronomers' understanding of how the solar system came to be some four billion years ago.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Finally, Bennu has the slight potential to travel dangerously close to Earth in 2175 and 2195.

"Bennu is one of the ones we are watching," said Lauretta, noting that it has a 1 in 2,700 chance of coming too close for comfort.

Knowing what Bennu is composed of gives NASA better information about how to potentially deflect the large space rock, should it ever veer toward our humble blue planet.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Ever wonder how the universe might end?

---

• Life
• Entertainment
• Shopping
• Deals
• Games
• Science
• Social Good
• Tech

• 5 Ways to Access a Locked Windows Account
• SpaceX's Starlink will provide free satellite internet to families in Texas school district
• The cicadas aren't invading the U.S.
• The Anatomy of Liberal Melancholy
• How to Easily Make iPhone Ringtones Using Only iTunes
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 5, 2025
• Exceptionally rare radio sources detected in the distant universe
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 12, 2025
• What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
• Boeing's new VR simulator immerses astronauts in space training

• Man who lost his testicles while showing off his scuba bong is fake news
• Watch hurricane hunters fly through Dorian’s stadium
• There are now 1.71 billion websites, but most of them are zombies
• Apple's 2020 iPhone might have an in
• Protesters hang 'Resist' banner from crane visible from the White House
• Sony Xperia 5 is a longphone that maybe makes sense
• Motorola One Zoom is the most beautiful phone I've seen in years
• Louis Tomlinson has no idea what a hedgehog looks like
• YouTube's $170 million fine isn't enough—and part of the FTC knows it
• Facebook Dating hits the U.S. and will let users add Instagram Stories soon

• Put Me In, Coach!
• Time to Unite
• Inside the Murky Process of Getting Games on Steam
• Fyre Festival and Trump’s Language
• I'm a college professor. My advice to young people who feel hooked on tech
• Shop Owala's Memorial Day Sale for 30% off tumblers
• What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
• Amazon Pet Day: All the best deals
• Stablecoin bill advances in U.S. Senate as Trump critics call to end his crypto dealings
• Big-League Bluster

• What cracked the Milky Way's giant cosmic bone? Scientists think they know.
• New MIT report reveals energy costs of AI tools like ChatGPT
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2025
• Apple is actively looking at AI search for Safari
• Best Hydro Flask deal: Save $10 on a 24
• Bargaining For the Common Good
• Best keyboard deals: Save on Asus gaming keyboards at Amazon
• A Typical Wall Street Republican
• Your 'wrong person' texts may be linked to Myanmar warlord
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for May 12, 2025