NASA has made a groundbreaking discovery with samples collected from the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu. These samples, recently brought back to Earth, have provided evidence of high carbon content and water-bearing clay minerals, potentially offering insights into the building blocks of life on Earth. This remarkable find was announced in a statement by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on October 11, 2023.
Asteroid Bennu: A Time Capsule of Our Solar System’s Origins
Asteroid Bennu, a small near-Earth asteroid, makes a close pass by Earth every six years. It is a relic of our solar system’s early days, dating back 4.5 billion years. Scientists believe that Bennu’s current composition was established within 10 million years of the solar system’s formation. The material collected from Bennu serves as a valuable time capsule, allowing us to explore the origins of life and the nature of asteroids.
OSIRIS-REx: The First US Mission to Collect an Asteroid Sample
The mission known as the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) marked the United States’ first attempt to collect a sample from an asteroid. Launched on September 8, 2016, the spacecraft successfully collected the sample three years ago.
On September 24, 2023, OSIRIS-REx returned to Earth to deliver the material collected from Bennu before embarking on a new mission to explore the asteroid Apophis. The sample from OSIRIS-REx is the most extensive carbon-rich asteroid sample ever returned to Earth.
Abundance of Sample Material and Initial Analyses
The OSIRIS-REx mission exceeded expectations in terms of sample abundance. The goal was to collect 60 grams of asteroid material, but the scientists discovered even more material than anticipated, with a total sample weight estimated at around 250 grams.
Initial analyses of the sample material were conducted using a scanning electron microscope, infrared measurements, X-ray diffraction, and chemical element analysis. Computed topography allowed the team to create a three-dimensional computer model of one of the particles, revealing evidence of abundant carbon and water within the asteroid.
Ongoing Research and Preservation
Over the next two years, the mission’s science team will continue to characterize the samples and perform the necessary analyses to achieve the mission’s scientific objectives. NASA plans to preserve at least 70% of the sample at Johnson Space Center in Houston, ensuring access for future generations of scientists and researchers.
A Legacy of Sample Retrieval
The practice of retrieving samples from space traces back to 1969 with NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, the first to land astronauts on the Moon. Since then, numerous missions have gathered samples from the Moon and beyond, with each decade bringing increasingly ambitious efforts in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. The discovery of carbon and water in samples from asteroid Bennu is a remarkable achievement that could deepen our understanding of the origins of life on Earth and the nature of asteroids. These findings mark a significant milestone in space exploration and scientific research.
