Two ancient Egyptian deities are set to rendezvous
in space later this decade, but it's a meeting of a scientific, not
mythological, kind.
The U.S. space agency, NASA, announced Wednesday
that Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36 has been renamed Bennu after an ancient
Egyptian deity that is often depicted as a gray heron.
Bennu will get a visit from a NASA spacecraft called
OSIRIS-REx, more formally known as Origins-Spectral
Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer.
The spacecraft's arm will collect a sample of Bennu
and store it for return to Earth.
The spacecraft shares its moniker with Osiris, the
ancient Egyptian god of the underworld also worshipped for agriculture.
Bennu and Osiris are often connected in Egyptian stories.
The space agency says 8,000 students from more than
20 countries entered a contest to give Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36 a new
moniker. Nine-year-old Michael Puzio of the southeastern U.S. state of
North Carolina suggested the winning name.
In a news release, NASA said Puzio envisioned OSIRIS-REx's
sampling arm and solar panels as resembling the neck and wings of the mythical
Bennu.
OSIRIS-REx is set to launch in 2016, rendezvous with asteroid
Bennu in 2018 and return a piece of the primordial space rock to Earth in
2023. Scientists say the sample could hold clues to the origins of the
solar system.
Asteroid (101955) 1999 RQ36's original name
indicates it was discovered in 1999, and it was the 101,955th confirmed
asteroid.
Sources :
http://www.voanews.com/content/egyptian-deities-linked-to-cosmic-discoveries/1652741.html
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