Anurag Kumar
After seven years of exploration and traveling over 6.2 billion kilometers, the mothership Osiris-Rex successfully delivered fragments from the asteroid Bennu, which is so far away from Earth that it is expected to approach ‘dangerously close’ to the planet in the 21st century, leading to the possibility of a collision. The capsule containing the sample contains 250 grams of material; however, the exact weight will be determined after precise measurement in a few weeks.
NASA has never before conducted a mission to collect samples from an asteroid. In 2004 and 2006, the US space agency sent spacecraft to collect samples of solar wind and comet material.
The analysis of Bennu’s sample will allow scientists to determine the origin of the Sun and other planets, as well as the formation of life on Earth. After dropping off the Bennu sample, Osiris-Rex headed for another asteroid Apophis and it is anticipated to reach there in 2029. The study of these asteroids will also aid scientists in devising methods to deflect them away from Earth.
ALSO READ : Microbiology: The study of life’s smallest creatures
The container will be unveiled in public within the next two days.
What will the sample be like?
- Pegged at a size roughly similar to a skyscrapper, Bennu is a carbon-rich asteroid. Therefore, the rubble collected from its surface will have material filled with a lot of carbon content, as close to 5-10% by mass.
- The sample is expected to be a mix of rocky fragments in sizes varying from a few millimetres to as small as a dust particle.
- Due to its carbonaceous form, the sample is expected to appear very dark, almost black, as well as crumbly.
- According to a theory, life on Earth began due to impacts of asteroids filled with important chemical compounds. Following on that, Bennu’s sample is also expected to have fascinating organic molecules such as compounds of amino acids, which are the building units of proteins.
- The sample is also expected to show proof of water present in Bennu in different forms, as much as 10% by mass. It will also enable scientist to discover whether asteroids brought water along with it during collisions on the early Earth.
