After delivering samples from the Bennu asteroid, scientists were only able to preliminary examine the dust that had collected on the lid of the container. They then spent several months trying to open the lid. Using two new tools designed to remove the remaining clamps, the scientists were finally able to gain access to the remaining samples, which had remained inaccessible for almost 4 months.
A few days after opening the lid, scientists were able to remove it and take photographs of the rocks and dust contained there. Thus, there is still a procedure for extracting samples, which is a labor-intensive process. Let us recall that earlier scientists studied the dust collected on the lid of the container, and its weight was 70 grams.
According to scientists from NASA, samples of dust and rocks collected from the asteroid Bennu represent some of the oldest, formed in the early periods of the history of the solar system. These samples could be a key source of information for understanding the composition of the components from which planets, including Earth, were formed.
Previously, Cursor reported that five asteroids would approach Earth, which attracted the attention of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Of particular interest to astronomers is one of them, the size of which is equivalent to two football fields.
