(Phys.org)—The first measurements of the elemental composition of the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta indicate that hydrogen was brought to the body by impactors, research by a team led by Planetary Science Institute ...
Space Exploration
Sep 20, 2012
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0
A new study published in Nature this week reveals that asteroid surfaces age and redden much faster than previously thought -- in less than a million years, the blink of an eye for an asteroid. This study has finally confirmed ...
Space Exploration
Apr 22, 2009
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An intense debate surrounding the cosmic rock that killed the dinosaurs has stirred scientists for decades, but a new study has revealed some important—and far-out—data about the impactor's origin story.
Planetary Sciences
6 hours ago
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In studying data collected from NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission, which in 2022 sent a spacecraft to intentionally collide with the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos, the mission's science team has discovered ...
Astronomy
Jul 30, 2024
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179
Using data from the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)—a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR—Southwest Research Institute scientists have discovered, for the first time, ...
Astrobiology
Feb 12, 2024
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5485
Ryugu is a near-Earth asteroid that gained significant attention when the Japanese Hayabusa2 mission collected samples and returned them to Earth. These samples have proven to offer a treasure trove of insights into the solar ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 23, 2024
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Asteroids are chunks of rock left over from the formation of our solar system. Approximately half a billion asteroids with sizes greater than four meters in diameter orbit the sun, traveling through our solar system at speeds ...
Astronomy
Aug 4, 2023
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165
Mining the asteroids for resources like iron, precious metals, water, or other valuable species may someday become profitable. Mining will probably starting with near Earth objects (NEOs), asteroids whose paths cross the ...
Space Exploration
Jun 16, 2022
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140
Later this year, NASA is set to launch a probe the size of a tennis court to the asteroid belt, a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where remnants of the early solar system circle the sun. Once inside the asteroid ...
Space Exploration
Jun 15, 2022
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1106
The moon was exposed to a heavy bombardment of asteroids 3.9 billion years ago. The origin of this bombardment, however, was previously unclear. Planetologists at Münster University have now tested these hypotheses with ...
Planetary Sciences
Nov 8, 2021
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