Asteroid Bennu’s surface consists of low-cohesion rubble according to data gathered during the sampling of the asteroid by the OSIRIS-REx mission. This is the finding of two new scientific studies – one each in Science and Science Advances. According to the study in Science by Dante Lauretta and
) made contact and began sinking into the asteroid’s surface before it released a jet of nitrogen gas that mobilized sub-surface material and guided it into a collection chamber.
By analyzing imaging and spectral data taken during and after the sample’s retrieval, the team found that sub-surface material is darker and contains more fine particles than the overlying surface. The process produced a debris plume and a new 9-meter-long elliptical crater.’s robotic spacecraft OSIRIS-REx descended toward, thumped into, and then quickly moved away from the small near-Earth asteroid 101955 Bennu. This video depicts the Touch-And-Go sampling event over a three-hour period.
They found that the near-subsurface material is loosely packed and less dense than the average of the whole asteroid, with very low cohesion. The high porosity and low material strength allow dust and other small particles to move within the sub-surface of the asteroid. Spectral and thermal data gathered during the mission suggests these results apply to the whole asteroid, not just the sampling site.
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