The climactic finale of a remarkable seven-year mission unfolded as a NASA capsule made its triumphant landing in the Utah desert. Its precious cargo consisted of the most extensive collection of asteroid samples ever gathered, offering scientists a profound opportunity to deepen our understanding of the solar system’s birth and the factors that rendered Earth a hospitable abode.
Four years following its initial launch in 2016, the Osiris-Rex probe successfully touched down on the asteroid Bennu, extracting approximately nine ounces (250 grams) of fine dust from its rugged surface. NASA underscores that even this seemingly small quantity will significantly enhance our comprehension of potentially hazardous asteroids and illuminate the ancient origins of our solar system. Drawing a parallel to the iconic Apollo moon rocks, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized the scale and importance of this mission.
Upon its touchdown in Utah, the capsule, roughly the size of a tire, was carefully ensconced in a protective net, ready to be airlifted by helicopter to a nearby temporary “clean room.” NASA’s meticulous approach aims to preserve the sample’s pristine condition, preventing any inadvertent contamination by desert sands, which could skew vital test results. Subsequently, the capsule was transported by plane to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, initiating a multi-day process of examination. NASA intends to unveil its initial findings during a highly anticipated news conference scheduled for October 11.
While a substantial portion of the sample will be preserved for future generations’ study, approximately one-fourth of it will be promptly utilized in experiments. A fraction of this precious cargo will be shared with NASA’s mission partners in Japan and Canada. Japan, in particular, had previously contributed a few minuscule grains from the asteroid Ryugu during the Hayabusa-2 mission in 2020. However, the bounty from Bennu dwarfs these earlier efforts, offering vastly expanded possibilities for scientific inquiry.
Asteroids represent remnants of the primordial materials of our solar system, dating back some 4.5 billion years, and have largely retained their original state. They hold the potential to unlock critical insights into the genesis and evolution of our celestial neighborhood, serving as a veritable “origin story” of cosmic proportions. Melissa Morris, the program executive for Osiris-Rex, underlined the belief that asteroids and comets may have delivered organic matter, possibly even water, to Earth’s surface, playing a pivotal role in the emergence of life on our planet.
Scientists suspect that Bennu, with its substantial 1,640-foot diameter, is rich in carbon—an essential building block for life on Earth—and may harbor water molecules trapped within its mineral composition. Bennu’s intriguing qualities were underscored in 2020 when the Osiris-Rex probe briefly made contact with its surface, revealing an unexpectedly low density, reminiscent of a children’s pool filled with plastic balls. Unraveling Bennu’s composition holds great promise for the distant future and could provide valuable insights into the cosmos.
NASA Administrator: Bill Nelson