The samples from the Ryugu asteroid contained two organic compounds, reinforcing the hypothesis that celestial objects such as comets, asteroids and meteorites that bombarded the Earth in the beginning seeded the young planet with the essential ingredients for life.
The Bennu sample is “much larger, so we’ll be able to do a lot more analysis,” Simon said.
Like other asteroids, Bennu is a relic of the early solar system. Because its current chemistry and mineralogy have remained virtually unchanged since it formed about 4.5 billion years ago, it holds valuable clues about the origins and development of rocky planets like Earth.
It could even contain organic molecules similar to those necessary for the appearance of microbes.
Asteroids contain “clues to how the solar system formed and evolved,” explained Melissa Morris, director of NASA’s Osiris-Rex program. “It is the story of our own origin.”
By crashing into our planet, “we think that asteroids and comets brought organic matter, potentially water, that helped develop life on Earth,” Simon said.
Scientists believe Bennu (500 meters in diameter) is rich in carbon and contains water molecules encased in minerals.
The surface of the asteroid turned out to be less dense than expected. Better understanding its composition could prove useful in the future.
There is a small risk (one chance in 2,700) that Bennu will hit Earth in 2182, which would be catastrophic. In 2022, NASA managed to divert the trajectory of an asteroid by impacting it
With information from AFP and Reuters