A cup of Asteriod Bennu debris will tell NASA how our solar system was born

After completing a long seven-year journey through space, on Sunday, September 24, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully brought back a capsule containing asteroid samples scooped from asteroid Bennu, a carbon-rich, 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid.

The mission's significance extends beyond the retrieval achievement; it involves recovering the largest celestial haul for the first time since NASA's Apollo Mission brought back moon rocks nearly half a century ago.

The grand arrival

• Following a precise release from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, the capsule, containing the collected samples, touched down on Earth, penetrating the atmosphere at a speed of 44,498 kmph.
• The capsule landed safely in a remote desert within the confines of the Utah Test and Training Range, three minutes ahead of schedule.

• The capsule's sealed and intact container reportedly holds at least a cup of asteroid rubble which will be later tested.

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Asteroid Bennu and its significance

• Asteroid Bennu is estimated to be approximately 4.5 billion years old, with materials formed during the dawn of our solar system.
• The collected samples are said to be rich in carbon-based substances and water-containing minerals, offering insights into the essential building blocks of planets, our solar system, and the origins of life.
• "These rocks will help us understand the origin of organics and water that may have seeded life on Earth," stated a NASA post on Twitter (formerly known as NASA's X).

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What next for the samples?

• Following the completion of this mission, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is now en route to explore another asteroid named Apophis.
• The samples will be transported to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where a new, specially designed lab will be used for their examination.
• The Center also houses a few hundred kilograms of lunar rubble brought back by NASA's Apollo astronauts.
• Scientists worldwide will participate in this analysis, with results expected to provide insights that will shape our understanding of the universe.

• NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, speaking to the Associated Press, referred to these samples as "a treasure" for scientific analysis that will benefit future generations.

• Scientists anticipate that the examination of these ancient materials will offer an extraordinary glimpse into the history of our solar system and the formation of our own planet.

• Lori Glaze, NASA's planetary science division director, described these samples as "the gifts that keep on giving."

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