L'arrivo del 2018 segna anche l'inizio dello sprint finale per le sonde spaziali Osiris-Rex, un progetto finanziato con un miliardo di dollari dalla NASA, e Hayabusa-2 dell'agenzia spaziale giapponese. Entrambe sono lanciate all'inseguimento di asteroidi e cominciano ormai a "sentire l'odore" delle loro prede Bennu e Ryugu, finora studiati solo attraverso la lente dei telescopi.
In estate il loro progressivo avvicinamento le porterà ad "azzannare" i due sassi cosmici. Hayabusa-2 raggiungerà a inizio luglio Ryugu, una sfera di 900 metri diametro che esplorerà e mapperà per un anno e mezzo, cercando anche di prelevare campioni della sua roccia, a forte contenuto di carbonio. Carbonio che è presente in abbondanza anche su Bennu, lungo 500 metri, che Osiris-Rex fotograferà e analizzerà da inizio agosto, cercando di sottrargli almeno 60 grammi di materiale da portare sulla Terra nel 2023.
pon/ANSA
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