NASA Says Asteroid Bennu Now More Likely to Hit Earth

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WASHINGTON — If you manage to develop an anti-aging diet, or create a time machine, or in some other way manage to be alive and on Earth on the Tuesday afternoon of September 24, 2182, then there is a chance that you might be looking up to see a big asteroid flashing down towards Earth. Here are the details:

NPR reports NASA scientists calculated that Asteroid Bennu has a higher chance of hitting Earth than previously thought.

The scientists used new data from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to make a more precise calculation of Bennu’s orbit.

That spacecraft managed to snatch a sample of dusty pebbles from the asteroid in October last year and is currently on its way back to Earth to drop off the precious cargo.

NASA found that the single likeliest impact moment would be on the afternoon of September 24, 2182.

On that Tuesday, Bennu has about a 1-in-2,700 chance of hitting Earth.

An impact would pack the energy of more than 1.1 billion tons of TNT, roughly two million times the energy of last year’s devastating port explosion in Beirut, Lebanon.

The NASA team reached its revised estimate by pinpointing Bennu’s distance from Earth to within about seven feet at dozens of times between 2019 and 2020.

That level of precision is like measuring the distance between the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower to within a few thousandths of an inch.

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at Bennu in late 2018 as NASA’s first — and humankind’s third — attempt to sample the surface of an asteroid.

The spacecraft managed to successfully snatch a sample in October of 2020 and is currently on its way back to Earth with it.

Before grabbing the sample, OSIRIS-REx spent nearly two years orbiting and studying rubble-strewn Bennu.

SOURCES: NPR, National Geographic
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HOLY SH*T! Guess I'd better start stocking up on paper towels and toilet paper again!

beachbum
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I’m planning my 200th Birthday party to be held in 2158. This won’t interfere with my plans.

livingndchildhood
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I am more concerned that we will destroy ourselves before any of this happens.

bullhunter
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At least it’s not on a Friday. Ruin the whole weekend.

johnmuir
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I can't wait that long. Is there anything that can be done to speed up the process?

strider
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I will be 187 years old I hope I’m not in the impact zone

tylerjustin
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Why can't this rock hit now? So that my problem be gone along with everyone 🤣

francisestillore
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Instead of just getting a sample, maybe they should have put a GPS Locator on it. Then we would have an exact location of where it will be found.

josephkondrat
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The day before my wife's 203rd birthday. Looks like we'll have to celebrate early.

nathanreeves
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We've gotten lucky before we should be good.

AsianSatire
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Year 2182
We cant last that long anyway

JASONTang
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Yall should be worrying about Apophis Asteroid ☄️ in 2029

screenshotz
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They all laughed at me when I bought this truckload of Umbrellas - WHO'S LAUGHING NOW???

LrCloud
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NASA bumped it just enough when grabbing the samples to put it on a collision course with Earth, Oops!
Or was it intentional? LOL

Mrjim
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beam me up Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here!

gordonkistler
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Bennu: I am gonna hit earth

Jupiter: *are you sure about that?*

iatekids
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Sounds like this small Asteroid wants to become a big Hemmorhoid.

sugarbear
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I will be on holiday with my family on Zeta Reticuli on that date, so there's no need for me to worry.

musiclover
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Just one in 2, 000. Back in the dark ages when I was in school we called this a REMOTE POSSIBILITY.

stevehicks
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Space agencies from all over the world must work together to destroy any object that comes to attack the Earth before the force of gravity ....
We can ...
Man can ....
NASA leadership must accept this operation ...
My personal opinion is ...

srinivasannarayanan