Expert says NASA paid US$1 billion to avoid asteroid collision with Earth

Dante Lauretta is professor of planetary sciences and cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona (USA). Additionally, principal investigator for the OSIRIS-REx mission at NASA. He recently released the book “The Asteroid Hunter: A Scientist’s Journey to the Solar System”. This book details crucial moments of the mission that, last year, brought samples collected from the asteroid to Earth. Bennudiscovered in 1999.

In a report published in the Daily Mail, Lauretta reveals that NASA awarded him US$1 billion (the equivalent of more or less 4.96 billion reaiss at the current rate) to discover everything possible about Bennu, considered a possible risk of collision with Earth in September 2182. The mission not only involved sending a spacecraft to the asteroid, but also bringing a piece of the rock back to the asteroid. Earth, which required years of research.

The mission launched in October 2020, marking a milestone in United States space history. During the descent of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to the asteroid’s surface, moments of tension were intense. Lauretta described the control room, where the team anxiously awaited news from space. After a series of critical events, including the successful completion of “MatchPoint”, OSIRIS-REx was able to land successfully.

NASA mission brought asteroid material to Earth

In September 2023, NASA brought a sample of Bennu to Earth, aiming to better understand the risks of collision with the planet. Preliminary analysis, released later, revealed large amounts of water and carbon in the sample, suggesting that Bennu may have been part of a water-rich planet billions of years ago. These discoveries are the result of a collaboration between NASA and researchers at the University of Arizona.