Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. Harold Connolly, Dr. David Livingston.  Topics:  Asteroid Bennu and new information re the OSIRIS-Rex mission .

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John Batchelor and I welcomed back DR. HAROLD CONNOLLY to discuss new findings supporting the idea that asteroid Bennu is a rubble pile.  Our guest explained what was meant by rubble pile, talked about the loose configuration of rocks and regolith on the surface that might actually extend much deeper. He talked about how dangerous this might be for landing on Bennu.  The sample return mission was discussed as it is on the way back to Earth with an expected arrival on Sept. 24, 2023 over Utah.  We talked about the fact that Bennu might just be a large debris field (rubble) made of solid rock loosely packed together and not being able to support much mass.  Our guest talked about the risk and danger of it breaking up in a higher gravity field.  This was a on segment Hotel Mars programming running close to 11 minutes. 

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You can email Mr. Batchelor or Dr. Connolly through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Dr. Connolly can also be reached through his university page that he mentioned on the program or through his work with NASA.