Overview
- NASA released X-ray computed tomography scans on March 17 showing pervasive internal crack networks in Bennu samples returned by OSIRIS‑REx.
- A Nature Communications study concludes that porosity plus widespread fractures in Bennu’s rocks account for the asteroid’s low thermal inertia once interpreted as sand-like terrain.
- Lock-in thermography on small particles at Nagoya University recorded higher thermal diffusivity than spacecraft data, motivating scale-up modeling to reconcile the measurements.
- At NASA’s Johnson Space Center, samples were kept pristine in nitrogen glove boxes for nondestructive XCT, yielding interior geometries to simulate heat flow at boulder scale.
- Scaled models reproduce OSIRIS‑REx observations, reshaping how scientists interpret remote thermal data for rubble‑pile asteroids and informing future landing and sampling strategies.