Nasa struggled to find a safe sampling site on asteroid Bennu; Queen guitarist Brian May used his little-known 3D imaging skills to reveal its treacherous terrain

North America Science Sat, 10 Oct 2026 13:43:42 GMT Moderate confidence — 73/100

PC: The Washington PostA rock musician working at a computer might seem an unlikely figure in an asteroid-sampling mission, but Brian May brought a specialist skill to Nasa’s search for a place to land on Bennu.
The Queen guitarist, who also holds a doctorate in astrophysics, helped scientists turn spacecraft photographs into three-dimensional views of the asteroid’s rough surface.
The work became particularly useful when the images revealed a landscape far more crowded with boulders than mission planners had anticipated.

PC: The Washington PostA rock musician working at a computer might seem an unlikely figure in an asteroid-sampling mission, but Brian May brought a specialist skill to Nasa’s search for a place to land on Bennu.
The Queen guitarist, who also holds a doctorate in astrophysics, helped scientists turn spacecraft photographs into three-dimensional views of the asteroid’s rough surface.
The work became particularly useful when the images revealed a landscape far more crowded with boulders than mission planners had anticipated.

Sources: Times of India