NASA Discovers Water And Carbon On An Asteroid

Research conducted on samples collected by NASA from the 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid Bennu found the presence of water and carbon, fundamental elements for life. This research is in its infancy, given that the material taken from the asteroid by the Osiris-Rex mission only arrived on Earth on September 24. Analyses were carried out using a scanning electron microscope, infrared measurements, X-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis. A 3D computer model of one of the particles was also built.

Osiris-Rex provided the largest sample of a carbon-rich asteroid ever brought to Earth. It will help scientists study the origins of life on our planet for future generations,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Almost everything we do at NASA seeks to answer questions about who we are and where we come from. Missions like Osiris-Rex will improve our understanding of asteroids that could threaten Earth and give us a glimpse of what lies beyond.”

Now scientists from around the world will have the opportunity to study these samples, which will provide clues to how the solar system formed and how the precursor elements of life arrived on our planet: “The sample has returned to Earth, but science still has to deal with a lot of previously unseen.”

“By peering into the ancient secrets held in the dust and rocks of asteroid Bennu, we are opening a time capsule that offers us deep insight into the origins of our solar system,” said Osiris-Rex lead researcher Dante Lauretta of the University of Tucson, Arizona. “The abundance of carbon-rich material and the large presence of hydrous clay minerals are just the tip of the cosmic iceberg. With each revelation from Bennu, we move closer to unraveling the mysteries of our space heritage.”