When the spacecraft arrived at Bennu in late 2018, the team was shocked to find a rugged, boulder-strewn surface instead of the expected sandy "beach." Bennu revealed itself as a "trickster" and an "active asteroid," frequently ejecting rock particles int

When the spacecraft arrived at Bennu in late 2018, the team was shocked to find a rugged, boulder-strewn surface instead of the expected sandy "beach." Bennu revealed itself as a "trickster" and an "active asteroid," frequently ejecting rock particles into space like "popcorn." These surprises forced the team to abandon their original laser-guided landing plan for a more sophisticated "Bullseye TAG" autonomous system. During the eventual sample collection at the "Nightingale" site, the asteroid's surface behaved like a fluid; the collector plunged so deep it became overfilled, causing precious material to leak into space. (3/4)
SEPTEMBER 1963