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OSIRIS-REx has captured an image of Earth as it flew by our planet for a gravity assist:
"The dark vertical streaks at the top of the image are caused by short exposure times (less than three milliseconds)," NASA officials wrote in an image description Tuesday (Sept. 26). "Short exposure times are required for imaging an object as bright as Earth, but are not anticipated for an object as dark as the asteroid Bennu, which the camera was designed to image."
The $800 million OSIRIS-REx mission — whose name is short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer — launched on Sept. 8, 2016. If all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will arrive at the 1,640-foot-wide (500 meters) Bennu late next year.
OSIRIS-REx will study the rock from orbit for more than 18 months and then head in to snag a sample of dirt and gravel from Bennu's surface in July 2020. This material will parachute to Earth's surface inside a special return capsule in September 2023.
Previously: OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission - Launch Successful
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 27 2017, @06:05PM (12 children)
Why the fuck did they pick such a shitty photo of the Pacific Ocean for the article? They should have shown some landmasses instead, not just a bunch of water and clouds.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 27 2017, @06:23PM (4 children)
The fuck is wrong with you? The climate on this planet is what makes it habitable. If anything, these 'bunches of water and clouds' are the thing that define this planet as what it is and what is present on it.
Dumb-ass...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 27 2017, @06:32PM
Kids (of all ages) these days don't see the big picture anymore. I blame social media!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 27 2017, @06:32PM (1 child)
OP has been sentenced to life imprisonment on Io.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 28 2017, @03:26AM
It is expected to be a short sentence.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 27 2017, @06:44PM
NASA isn't going to convince voters and politicians to increase their budget if they give us boring photos like this.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Wednesday September 27 2017, @07:06PM (6 children)
Because the Earth happened to show that side to the space probe when it passed by for swingby? Remember, the probe didn't pass Earth in order to make a photo.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday September 27 2017, @08:08PM (5 children)
No, the probe passed by Earth to steal some of our precious gravity.
Dirty thief.
(Score: 3, Informative) by maxwell demon on Wednesday September 27 2017, @08:51PM (3 children)
Well, actually it stole some of Earth's kinetic energy. Gravity was only the device it used for that.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Wednesday September 27 2017, @10:11PM
Clearly we need to ensure we have the resources to chase after anything that steals our precious kinetic energy. I suggest a massive expansion of space funding.
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday September 27 2017, @10:12PM
Or gave it some. Depends on your point of view.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday September 27 2017, @11:42PM
I don't care if it was kinetic energy [wikipedia.org] it stole, I want my share back!
(Score: 2) by Snow on Wednesday September 27 2017, @09:15PM
They should have just installed more before they sent it up.