A capsule carrying asteroid information that could provide clues to the origins of the Earth has safely arrived on Earth. The capsule contains 250g of soil samples from the asteroid Bennu, located about 500,000 km away from Earth. Academic circles believe that this sample will be of great help in understanding the origins of organic matter and water that gave rise to life on Earth.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that a capsule carrying Bennu samples fell at the Air Force Test and Training Range (UTTR) in Utah, USA, at 8:52 a.m. on the 24th (local time). NASA’s asteroid probe ‘Osiris-Rex’, carrying samples, departed from Earth in 2016 and returned to Earth 7 years later. The capsule was dropped from an altitude of about 100,000 km and then moved to another asteroid, Apophis. Apophis is scheduled to be reached in 2029.
The soil samples from Bennu contained in the capsule are the largest amount of samples ever taken from an asteroid by humans. Researchers expect that they will be able to find secrets about the early Earth and the birth of life in a ‘large’ sample, about the size of a paper cup. This is because Bennu is a carbonaceous asteroid made of carbon, the basic element that makes up life. Kyle Griffin, vice president of commercial and civil space at Lockheed Martin, who participated in this mission, said, “This sample is monumental, and scientists will be opening a time capsule containing the early history of the solar system.”
Previously, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) collected asteroid samples through ‘Hayabusa 1’ and ‘Hayabusa 2’. Hayabusa 2 collected a sample of about 5.2 g from Ryugu, a carbonaceous asteroid like Bennu, in 2020. As a result of analyzing the samples, they discovered ‘uracil’, which makes up ribonucleic acid (RNA), a genetic map, along with evidence that water was delivered to the early Earth.
Currently, Benu samples are transported and stored in a temporary clean room within UTTR. 75% of the samples will be left for future scientists to analyze, and the remaining samples will be analyzed by NASA, JAXA, the Canadian Space Agency, etc. NASA announced that the exact weight and main characteristics of the sample will be released in October.
Asteroid missions are expected to continue in the second half of this year (July to December). On October 5th, NASA will launch the ’16 Psyche’ probe, which is called a ‘treasure asteroid’. Psyche is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is made up of rare minerals such as gold, iron, and nickel. It is scheduled to reach 16 Psyche in August 2029, at about 370 million km from Earth. NASA’s asteroid probe ‘Lucy’, launched in 2021, plans to sequentially observe eight asteroids near Jupiter for 12 years, starting with the asteroid ‘Dinkinesi’ on November 1.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.