Rock and soil samples from the space object were found to contain high levels of water and carbon in the form of organic compounds.
The first studies of samples from the 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid Bennu, collected in space and returned to Earth by NASA, revealed high carbon and water content. This find may indicate that it was precisely such cosmic rocks that brought to our planet the “building blocks” for the origin of life on Earth.
About it reported at NASA on Wednesday, October 11, during a demonstration of asteroid samples delivered to Earth.
The OSIRIS-REx mission collected rock and dust from Bennu in 2020, and the capsule carrying its precious cargo successfully returned to Earth just over two weeks ago, landing in the Utah desert.
Scientific treasure from the depths of space
Over the course of two weeks, the scientific team analyzed some of the rocks and dust using a scanning electron microscope, performing infrared measurements and analyzing chemical elements. They also used X-rays to create a 3D model of one of the particles to discover its composition, revealing what OSIRIS-REx mission principal investigator Dante Lauretta called a “scientific treasure.”
“The first analysis shows that the samples contain large amounts of water in the form of hydrated clay minerals, as well as carbon in both the form of minerals and organic molecules,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The key to the secret of life on Earth
An important discovery was the aquiferous clay minerals found in the asteroid samples. Scientists suggest that this is how water got to the primitive Earth.
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“The reason that the Earth is a habitable world, that we have oceans, lakes, rivers and rain, is because these clay minerals fell onto the Earth 4 billion years ago, making our world habitable,” said Dante Lauretta.
Initial analysis also revealed in samples returned from the asteroid sulfide minerals, which Professor Lauretta said are “an important element for planetary evolution and biology”, iron oxide minerals called magnetite, which respond to magnetic fields, and other minerals that may be important for organic evolution.
The science team was thrilled to find organic matter and large amounts of carbon, an essential element for all life, said Dr. Daniel Glavin, an OSIRIS-REx analyst.
How long will the research last?
Over the next two years, scientists will analyze rocks and soil in a special clean room at the Johnson Space Center.
The sample will also be separated and sent to laboratories around the world, including OSIRIS-REx mission partners at the Canadian Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Approximately 70% of the samples will remain intact in storage so that future generations with better technology can learn more than is possible now.
Let us remind you that the landing of the capsule with the precious cargo was broadcast live by NASA on September 24.
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