OSIRIS-REx has spent almost two years circling near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Tomorrow, it swoops in to scoop up a sample. But Bennu has turned out to be more complicated than we expected. Thanks to laser altimetry data and high-resolution imagery from OSIRIS-REx, we can take a tour of Bennu’s remarkable terrain. When NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018, its close-up images confirmed what mission planners had predicted nearly two decades before

☄️ Asteroid Bennu returns every 6 years — and scientists have identified September 24, 2182 as a possible risk window. Impact energy? Roughly equal to 22 atomic bombs. Before panic spreads — the probability is extremely low, and it’s being tracked with precision. Missions like OSIRIS-REx help us understand and prepare. We’re not helpless anymore. 👇 Would you want a global asteroid defense system? #Asteroid #Bennu #SpaceNews #PlanetaryDefense #NASA #EarthWatch | Joemar Sombero