Asteroid Bennu

Question: Recently NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has discovered traces of water forming ingredients i.e. hydrogen and oxygen molecules in which of the following asteroid?
(a) Pallas
(b) Bennu
(c) Hygiea
(d) Ceres
Answer: (b)
Related facts:

  • NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has discovered traces of water forming hydrogen and oxygen molecules in the asteroid Bennu’s rocky surface.
  • OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu on December 3, 2018.
  • OSIRIS-REx is the first asteroid sample-return mission sent by the American space agency NASA, to collect samples of the surface regolith and bring them back to Earth for further study.
  • OSIRIS-REx fully known as Origins,Spectral Interpretation,Resource Identification,Security-Regolith Explorer.
  • Under the NASA’s New Frontiers program starting from the New Horizons spacecraft which passed through Pluto and Juno spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter, OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in this series.

Links:
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/water-on-asteroid-bennu-nasa-spacecraft-1407227-2018-12-11
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/101955-bennu/overview/