According to a study published in the journal Science on July 7, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has arrived at the asteroid Bennu and collected a sample weighing approximately 250 grams to bring back to Earth.
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. (Photo: NASA)
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft approached Bennu in December 2018 and conducted surveys before landing on the asteroid’s surface to collect rock samples in October 2020. The spacecraft successfully completed its primary mission of gathering samples from the asteroid to return to Earth. Initially, NASA aimed to collect a sample weighing at least 60 grams.
The sample is expected to return to Earth in September 2023. NASA has planned to share a portion of this sample with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Asteroids are believed to be remnants from the formation of the Solar System approximately 4.6 billion years ago. Studying these asteroids will provide new insights into the formation of the Solar System and the origins of life.
Previously, Japan’s Hayabusa2, which is smaller than OSIRIS-REx, returned a sample weighing about 5.4 grams from the asteroid Ryugu and shared some of the materials with NASA after returning to Earth in December 2020. This sample included over 20 types of amino acids that play a crucial role in protein production for all living organisms. This discovery reinforced the hypothesis that the origins of life on Earth may come from outer space.
