Samples from asteroid Bennu are rich in carbon and water

   MADRID, 11 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Samples brought back from asteroid Bennu by NASA have high carbon and water content, indicators that the building blocks of life on Earth can be found in the rock.

It is the result of initial studies of the sample from the 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid Bennu, collected in space millions of kilometers away by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission and which arrived on Earth on September 24 in a capsule after a return trip of almost three years.

This October 11, NASA showed the first images of the samples at an event held at the Johnson Center in Houston.

"The OSIRIS-REx sample is the largest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever sent to Earth and will help scientists investigate the origins of life on our own planet for generations to come," the administrator of NASA, Bill Nelson.

According to the space agency, although more work is needed to understand the nature of the carbon compounds found, the initial discovery bodes well for future analyzes of the asteroid sample. The secrets hidden within the rocks and dust of the asteroid will be studied for decades to come, offering insights into how our solar system formed, how life-precursor materials could have been seeded on Earth, and what precautions should be taken. taken to avoid asteroid collisions with our planet.

The goal of OSIRIS-REx sample collection was 60 grams of asteroid material. NASA's Johnson preservation experts, working in new clean rooms purpose-built for the mission, have so far spent 10 days carefully disassembling the sample return hardware to get a glimpse of the bulk sample inside.

When the scientific vessel lid was first opened, scientists discovered extra asteroid material covering the outside of the collector head, vessel lid, and base. There was so much extra material that it slowed down the careful process of collecting and containing the primary sample.

For the first two weeks, scientists performed "quick look" analyzes of that initial material, collecting images from a scanning electron microscope, infrared measurements, X-ray diffraction, and chemical element analysis. X-ray computed tomography was also used to produce a 3D computer model of one of the particles, highlighting its diverse interior. This first look provided evidence of abundant carbon and water in the sample, NASA reports.

Over the next two years, the mission science team will continue to characterize the samples and perform the analyzes necessary to meet the mission's scientific objectives. NASA will preserve at least 70% of the sample at Johnson for future research by scientists around the world, including future generations of scientists.

As part of the OSIRIS-REx science program, a group of more than 200 scientists from around the world will explore the properties of regolith, including researchers from many US institutions and NASA partners.