Space debris from asteroid Bennu contains water and carbon

The asteroid Bennu, which looks like a potato, formed about 4.5 billion years ago, at the birth of our solar system. The rock has not changed since then. The water may have ended up on Earth through collisions with these rocks.

According to NASA, more research is needed on the fine composition of the grains. “The secrets contained in the asteroid’s rocks and dust will be studied in the coming decades. They provide insight into how our solar system formed, how precursors of life might have seeded on Earth, and what precautions were needed to prevent our planet from colliding.” With asteroids to prevent.”

To study the asteroid, NASA launched the OSIRIS-REx probe in 2016. It reached Bennu in 2018. The rock was measured and photographed from all angles. That data was sent back to Earth for study. In October 2020, the OSIRIS-REx rover descended to the surface to suck up about 250 grams of gravel and dust. It happened approximately 333 million kilometers from Earth.

Landed in the desert

The asteroid samples were collected in a container on board the probe. OSIRIS-REx then began its 2.3 billion kilometer journey back to Earth. At the end of September, the gravel container was released. It fell in the desert of the American state of Utah. The material was then transferred to laboratories.

This was the first time that Americans obtained material from an asteroid. Japan preceded them with the Hayabusa and Hayabusa 2 missions, but returned smaller payloads.