On September 24 this year, a NASA capsule parachuted down to Earth carrying valuable material retrieved from an asteroid. The space agency has now released images and preliminary analysis of the space rock it discovered after opening the capsule’s lid. The asteroid mission was named Osiris-Rex and collected a sample of material from the asteroid Bennu in 2020. After that, it returned to Earth and dropped a capsule full of rocks into our atmosphere three weeks ago.

The fine black dust and small coal-like rocks glistening in the capsule are beautiful and somewhat ordinary. But this tiny piece of space rock could answer questions not only about how Earth was created, but also how water got here and how life emerged.

At NASA’s news conference on October 11, where details of the sample were given, Dr. Francis McCubbin implied that the material could be analyzed and used in experiments for years if carefully stored and prepared.

“Scientists who are not yet born will (be) able to answer questions about the universe using technologies that have not yet been invented,” said the curator of astromaterials at NASA’s Houston Space Center, where the Bennu sample is located. hidden. .

Why collect asteroid samples?

Sometimes materials from space reach Earth in the form of meteors without our help. NASA’s collection includes hundreds of meteorite samples believed to come from asteroids. These samples can be used for useful analysis.

However, it is often impossible to determine which asteroids these meteors originate from. This limits the potential of emerging science. Meteorites also become contaminated during their journey through the atmosphere to Earth. The Osiris-Rex example, by contrast, is “pristine.” We can be sure that any discovery made from this sample will give us information about Benna.

Some of the finer dust in the Bennu sample would never have formed a meteorite and fallen to Earth. This is the only way we can see to obtain such materials.

This is not the first asteroid sample sent to Earth. Two Japanese space agency (Jaxa) missions, Hayabusa 1 and 2, delivered asteroid material in 2010 and 2020. But this is the first US mission to do so. He also returned from his Hayabusa missions with much more supplies.

Osiris-Rex delivered approximately 250 grams of material compared to the Hayabusa 2’s 5 grams. This means the sample can be distributed to scientists around the world and displayed in museums for the public to enjoy. This also means that some larger rock fragments are included, providing a unique opportunity to study how different minerals are arranged in large pieces of the asteroid. This opens up even more scientific potential.

What did they find?

Bennu is a known “carbonaceous” or C-type asteroid. They contain large amounts of “volatile substances” such as carbon and water that evaporate easily. These asteroids are believed to be remnants of the formation of the solar system, so they may help explain how planets, including Earth, formed.

It took longer than expected to analyze a large portion of the sample, but it’s a welcome challenge. The sample collection technique was so successful that the sample “poured” from the container inside the return capsule. Since each grain is precious, all of this bonus material must be carefully collected before opening the sample container and starting the preparation of the main portion of the sample.

With all this said, the initial analysis has already produced some exciting results. Water has been found locked inside Bennu’s clay minerals, an incredibly important discovery. One of the proposed mechanisms for the formation of water on Earth and other inner planets is that water became trapped within such clay minerals, and these minerals formed the rocks that would later form the planets during the birth of the solar system.

The sample has a high carbon content (almost 5% by weight) and a high sulfur content. Both elements are essential for life. Carbon is an important component of the organic compounds that make biology possible. Sulfur is an important component of the amino acids that form proteins.

Asteroids like Bennu are thought to “seed” Earth with prebiotic compounds, the building blocks of life. Magnetite (iron oxide) found in the sample is linked to chemical reactions vital to the evolution of life. Osiris-Rex sample analyst Dr. As Daniel Glavin summarizes: “We chose the right asteroid. And not only that, we also returned the correct sample.”

What’s next?

Searching for water on asteroids not only helps answer important questions about how we and our planet got here, it will also be part of our future. Water can be decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen and used as rocket fuel. Although spaceship refueling stations are still far away, they are moving from the world of science fiction to reality.

You can only take so much fuel with you when going to the rocket. It’s much better to take exactly what you need to leave the planet and refuel in space for the rest of your journey. Water can also be used to support life in bases to be established on the Moon and Mars in the future. That’s why it’s so important to understand where to get water in space and how to extract it. Asteroid water is a potential source.

Asteroids, once known for allegedly playing a role in the extinction of dinosaurs, are having a positive time in the spotlight by showing their role in humanity’s past, present and future.