Scientists have made an unexpected discovery after opening the canister containing a sample collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. The researchers found an abundance of dark, fine-grained material on the inside of the container’s lid and base, providing valuable insights about the asteroid. The sample was collected as part of NASA’s 7-year OSIRIS-Rex mission, which traveled to Bennu, touched down on the asteroid, and returned to Earth for the sample drop. The canister was taken to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for analysis.
Asteroids like Bennu offer valuable information about the formation of the solar system and its early days. Understanding their composition and orbits is crucial for developing ways to deflect any space rocks on a collision course with Earth. When OSIRIS-REx collected the sample in 2020, it gathered so much material that particles were seen drifting off into space. Opening the canister revealed an abundance of material outside the collection mechanism head, which researchers are currently analyzing.
The actual sample from Bennu will be revealed on October 11 in a live NASA broadcast. In the meantime, scientists are conducting a quick-look analysis of the material collected from outside the mechanism head. They will use scanning electron microscopes, X-rays, and infrared instruments to examine the sample’s chemical composition and detect any hydrated minerals or organic particles.
The initial analysis will provide researchers with a better understanding of what to expect from the bulk sample collected from Bennu. Scientists believe that asteroids like Bennu may have delivered essential elements such as water to Earth during its early formation. By studying the pristine sample, they hope to find answers to lingering questions about the origins of our solar system.
While the sample analysis continues, the spacecraft that delivered the sample, now named OSIRIS-APEX, is heading towards the near-Earth asteroid Apophis. Apophis will come close enough to Earth in 2029 to be visible to the naked eye, and the spacecraft will study it during its close approach.