The Yarkovsky Effect
Stories from Physics
for 11-14
14-16
The differential heating of the sides of an asteroid by sunlight can lead to the exertion of a small thrust force, a phenomenon known as the Yarkovsky effect. In September 2016, NASA launched a spacecraft, OSIRIS-REx, to intercept and collect samples from the asteroid Bennu. It successfully landed on the asteroid in October 2020. In addition to collecting a sample of the asteroid and returning it to Earth, OSIRIS-REx will investigate the Yarkovsky effect on Bennu in order to develop potential techniques to deflect asteroids that are on a collision course with the Earth.
References
The Yarkovsky Effect
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission, NASA Facts,
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/osiris_rex_factsheet5-9.pdf
