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NASA's OSIRIS-REx Reveals Rugged Terrain of Asteroid Bennu

3/18/2026

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Summary

Story summary

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission found Bennu is a rugged asteroid with large boulders, not the smoother surface expected.
Andrew Ryan of the University of Arizona and colleagues report the boulders are porous and host extensive crack networks that drive heat loss.
Researchers used X-ray computed tomography to visualize Bennu's interior and found higher thermal inertia than earlier spacecraft readings, per Nature Communications, aligning with Hayabusa-2.

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Story summary

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission found Bennu is a rugged asteroid with large boulders, not the smoother surface expected.
Andrew Ryan of the University of Arizona and colleagues report the boulders are porous and host extensive crack networks that drive heat loss.
Researchers used X-ray computed tomography to visualize Bennu's interior and found higher thermal inertia than earlier spacecraft readings, per Nature Communications, aligning with Hayabusa-2.