Scientist analyzes sample NASA Unexpected discoveries brought back from asteroids could mean space The rock was once part of something long gone Ocean World.
The team discovered water-soluble sodium magnesium phosphate in the mottled stones—a mineral that no one expected because it didn’t show up in any of the data collected while the spacecraft was on the asteroid Decide. Phosphate compounds are key to all known life and form the backbone of DNA.
new Research resultpublished in Meteorology and Planetary Scienceis an important part of the “liar asteroid”, nicknamed “liar asteroid” because it confuses scientists every step of the way. Osiris-Rex mission.
“The presence and state of phosphates on Bennu, along with other elements and compounds, suggest that this asteroid had a watery past,” said lead researcher Dante Lauretta. in a statement.
What does a meteorite smell like? Someone found it and bottled it.
The Bennu particle is about a millimeter across and displays a bright phosphate shell under a microscope.
Image credit: Lauretta & Connolly et al. (2024) Meteorology and Planetary Science
NASA’s $800 million OSIRIS-Rex mission, referred to as Origin, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security Regolith Explorer, launched in 2016. This is the first time a U.S. delegation has collected samples an asteroid. These are the most important space memorabilia NASA has acquired since space exploration Apollo moon rocksgathered between 1969 and 1972.
NASA chose Bennu for this mission because it The probability of impacting the Earth is very small for centuries to come. Understanding asteroids may help Efforts to adjust direction in the future.
But another reason the team chose Bennu is that it is rich in carbon, meaning it may contain the chemical origins of life. Some of its mineral fragments may be older than the 4.5 billion-year-old solar system. These stardust particles may come from dying star or Supernova eventually led to sun and planets.
Mix and match speed of light
NASA has made samples of the asteroid Bennu collected during the OSIRIS-Rex mission available to scientists around the world for study.
Image credit: NASA / Erika Blumenfeld and Joseph Aebersold
All forms of life on Earth contain specific chemicals, e.g. amino acids and sugar. Scientists already know that asteroids contain molecules thought to be precursors to these chemicals. This is why many people suspect that space rocks were brought to Earth via collisions in ancient cosmic history. By studying Bennu samples, they hope to gain a deeper understanding of how these components evolved.
“What I wanted to know was how to go from a simple carbon molecule, such as methane, a natural gas, to an amino acid (which makes up our proteins) or a nucleic acid (which makes up our genetic material),” says Lauretta.
His dream discovery would be evidence that amino acids began to join together through chemical bonds to form a chain called a peptide, thereby signaling the evolution of proteins.
Bennu is shaped like a drop of water, made up of gravel and boulders held together by its own microgravity.
Image credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/University of Arizona
The mission was successfully brought back 1/2 cup gravel and soil. So far, the researchers haven’t been disappointed with their bounty.
The sample is rich in nitrogen and carbon, essential ingredients for life. The team’s early analysis found large amounts of clay minerals, specifically serpentine. This is similar to the type of rock found at Earth’s mid-ocean ridges, where geologists believe life on Earth may have begun.
Sodium magnesium phosphate in the Bennu sample is similar to Enceladus. This Saturnian moon is encased in a salty ocean beneath ice and is known to spew giant geysers into space. Similar phosphate-rich liquids are found in soda lakes on Earth, such as Canada’s Last Chance Lake and Lake Goodenough.
The Osiris-Rex sample return capsule after landing on Earth.
Image credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
In new OSIRIS-Rex paper, scientists suggest ‘possible link’ between Bennu and Bennu Enceladus, but this idea needs more investigation to prove. The study of the sample has just begun.
“These findings underscore the importance of collecting and studying material from asteroids like Bennu, especially the low-density material that would normally burn up if it entered the Earth’s atmosphere,” Lauretta said.
