NASA paid a man a staggering $1 billion to prevent an asteroid from colliding with Earth, hoping to avoid a global disaster.
In a remarkable effort to protect Earth, NASA once allocated $1 billion to stop a potentially dangerous asteroid from colliding with our planet.
This asteroid, named Bennu, is about the size of the Empire State Building and poses a significant threat.
The threat of Bennu asteroid
Bennu is classified as a “potentially hazardous” asteroid because it comes within about 4.6 million miles of Earth’s orbit.
Scientists have calculated that there is a 1 in 2,700 chance that Bennu could hit Earth between 2175 and 2199.
While these odds may seem low, experts believe it is crucial to take this threat seriously.
NASA pays man $1B to prevent Empire State Building-sized asteroid from colliding with Earth
In 2011, NASA launched a mission with a budget of $1.16 billion to study Bennu and collect samples from it.
Dante Lauretta, a prominent space expert, led this mission.
He explained that the project involved not only sending a spacecraft to the asteroid but also bringing back a piece of it to Earth.
Lauretta revealed: “In 2011, NASA awarded me a billion dollars.
“The mission would come to entail not only sending a spacecraft to the asteroid but bringing a piece of it back to Earth.”
The mission, known as OSIRIS-REx, was launched in 2016. The spacecraft traveled to Bennu and arrived there in 2018.
After spending time studying the asteroid, OSIRIS-REx collected samples of rocks and dust from its surface in 2020.
The samples returned to Earth last year, revealing exciting and important findings about this celestial body.
Importance of understanding Bennu
Lauretta emphasized the importance of this mission.
He stated that understanding Bennu could help us prepare for any potential disaster in the future.
If Bennu were to crash into Earth, the consequences would be severe.
The impact could create a blast equivalent to 1,450 megatons of TNT, nearly three times the energy released during all nuclear tests combined.
Lauretta: “In some respects, the Earth would hardly register such an event: the orbit and axis would remain unperturbed.
“In other respects — arguably more pertinent ones — the consequences would be devastating.”
Potential impact consequences if Bennu asteroid hits the Earth
If Bennu were to collide with our planet, it would leave a massive crater about four miles wide and half a mile deep.
Such an event would also trigger a significant earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.7.
The winds generated would be 20 times stronger than those of a Category 5 hurricane.
The destruction would be catastrophic, with residential areas flattened and survivors left at the mercy of their location and sheer luck.
Lauretta speculated on the aftermath of such an impact.
The largest rocks thrown from the asteroid could be as big as 16-story buildings.
The chaos that would follow could lead to power outages, food and water shortages, and communication failures that could last for months.
Lauretta said: “The largest rocks that Bennu sent flying would be the size of 16-story buildings.
“In the aftermath, power outages, food and water shortages, and communication blackouts would last months as the region remained inaccessible.”
The positive outcomes of the mission
Fortunately, the data and samples collected from Bennu will help scientists learn more about the asteroid.
This will assist in developing strategies to prevent a disaster.
This mission is the first time the United States has successfully collected samples from an asteroid.
It marks a significant achievement in space exploration.