'The surface was soft and flowed away like a fluid.'
The outcome was so surprising, in fact, that the researchers sent the craft back to Bennu six months later. The imagery gathered on the second mission showed that OSIRIS-REx had, the researchers believe that the secret to Bennu's unexpected fluff is in its mass. The particles that form the asteroid's surface are both loosely packed and lightly bound, meaning that while it looks solid, there's actually a lot of empty space.
As a result, NASA says that stepping onto the asteroid would apparently feel like "stepping into a pit of plastic balls." Yes, like the ones at your local Chuck E. Cheese. The research is exciting, although frankly, it's a bit nerve-wracking as well. Since Bennu is held together by so little force, an impact with Earth would likely cause the asteroid to shatter within our Pale Blue Dot's atmosphere, according to the researchers — a very different kind of hazard compared to a collision with a hard celestial body.
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