Prepare to be amazed by this groundbreaking discovery.
NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has successfully collected samples from Bennu, a 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid that is considered “near-Earth” and poses a slight risk of colliding with our planet in 159 years. These samples could potentially contain “the building blocks of life on Earth,” as described by NASA themselves.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer, retrieved parts of Bennu that exhibit both abundant carbon content and water. This discovery opens up the possibility that the habitable conditions found exclusively on Earth may have originated from this asteroid.
Safely parachuted down to the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range at the end of last month, the samples are currently undergoing analysis. This mission, which began in 2016, marks the first time that such a collection has been attempted.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated, “The OSIRIS-REx sample is the largest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth and will aid scientists in investigating the origins of life on our planet for future generations. Missions like OSIRIS-REx not only enhance our understanding of potentially threatening asteroids but also offer us a glimpse into the mysteries of our universe. While the sample has returned to Earth, there is still an abundance of scientific discoveries yet to come.”
Furthermore, NASA reports that the Bennu samples not only shed light on Earth’s origins but also contribute to our knowledge of the formation of the entire solar system.
Currently, NASA is investigating the possibility that the elements needed for life may have been “seeded” on Earth from outer space. Bennu is believed to have originated from a larger, carbon-rich asteroid that broke off between 700 million and 2 billion years ago.
The recovery of Bennu’s samples has also revealed unexpected materials that took additional time for NASA experts to collect on Earth. Over the next two years, these samples, which comprise at least 70% of the total collection, will be further analyzed and preserved for exploration by over 200 scientists worldwide.
In the coming weeks, some of the samples will be loaned to prestigious institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, Space Center Houston, and the University of Arizona.
Dante Lauretta, the principal investigator of the OSIRIS-REx mission, stated, “As we delve into the ancient secrets preserved within the dust and rocks of asteroid Bennu, we are unlocking a time capsule that offers us profound insights into the origins of our solar system…The vast amount of carbon-rich material and the presence of water-bearing clay minerals are only the beginning of what we will discover. These findings propel us on a journey to not only comprehend our cosmic neighborhood but also explore the potential for life’s origins. Every revelation from Bennu brings us closer to unraveling the enigmas of our cosmic heritage.”
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