NASA tests thrusters on journey to asteroid Bennu
Wednesday, October 12, 2016 - 07:01
in Astronomy & Space
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft fired its Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM) thrusters for the first time Friday in order to slightly adjust its trajectory on the outbound journey from Earth to the asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft's planned first Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM-1) began at 1 p.m. EDT and lasted for approximately 12 seconds. The maneuver changed the velocity of the spacecraft by 1.1 mile per hour (50 centimeters per second) and used approximately 18 ounces (.5 kilogram) of fuel. The spacecraft is currently about 9 million miles (14.5 million kilometers) from Earth.