Houston, TX – After a successful mission to near-Earth asteroid Bennu, NASA scientists have finally determined the amount of material collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, and it’s significantly more than they initially expected.
The retrieved sample weighs a surprising 4.3 ounces (122 grams), more than double the anticipated amount. This precious cargo, consisting of rocky space debris, could hold some of the earliest building blocks of life in our solar system. It also marks the first ever space rock retrieved by a NASA mission.
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Following its desert landing in Utah on September 24, 2023, the OSIRIS-REx capsule faced challenges during disassembly at the Johnson Space Center. Initial attempts yielded only 2.48 ounces due to technical difficulties. However, scientists persevered, designing and using specialized tools to finally open the remaining clasps and retrieve an additional 1.81 ounces from within.
Launched in 2016, OSIRIS-REx traveled a vast 200 million miles to reach Bennu and collect the sample before returning to Earth in May 2021. The mission team spent nearly two years meticulously searching for a suitable landing site on the asteroid’s rugged surface.
This valuable sample, estimated to be 4.5 billion years old, holds remnants from the solar system’s earliest days and potentially contains the primordial elements that kickstarted life on Earth. Notably, similar building blocks, including uracil (a key component of RNA), were recently discovered on asteroid Ryugu by the Japanese Hayabusa2 mission. Scientists are optimistic about finding similar precursors within the Bennu sample.
This successful mission and its substantial sample retrieval mark a significant advancement in our understanding of the origins of our solar system and the potential for life beyond Earth.
