NASA scientists have identified traces of organic molecules in the first samples taken from the asteroid Bennu. They also found something else that remains a mystery: they discovered a substance that had never been seen before.
the NASA OSIRIS-REx The spacecraft, whose mission was to search for evidence regarding the origin of life on Earth, landed at the end of 2020. To the asteroid BennuThen collect samples from its surface. The soil samples arrived at the ground two months ago, and experts immediately began examining them, with preliminary results published on December 11.
“We have certainly identified moist, organic-rich remains from the early solar system, which is exactly what we had hoped for 20 years ago when the mission was planned,” said Dante Lauretta, the mission’s principal investigator, at the American Geophysical Union (AGU). ) Conference. .
The researchers only examined the outer part of the capsule, which contains samples from the three-billion-year-old asteroid, but inside it there are additional materials still waiting to be discovered, so there may be surprises. However, the soil samples so far are dark, organic, a few centimeters or millimeters in size, and have a strange “cauliflower-like” texture.
The OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft was designed to interact with Bennu for just six seconds, but it ended up interacting with the asteroid for 17 seconds, collecting far more samples than planned. Meanwhile, due to faulty fasteners, the container lids are not easy to remove, so specialists are still unable to access the majority of collected samples.
On the other hand, the materials were successfully extracted More surprises Also reserved for NASA scientists.
The mysterious material from the asteroid
The samples were analyzed by spectroscopy at NASA’s Rhode Island laboratory. Spectroscopy is a scientific technique that shows the composition of matter by examining reflections of light of different wavelengths. Preliminary results showed that the blue-colored image is dominant in the material. This sky-blue color is difficult to explain at the moment, as it indicates that the space rock may contain more water than expected. More results in this regard will be shared with the public next spring.
Even more surprising is that the material also contains large amounts of magnesium, sodium and phosphorus, in a combination that scientists have never seen before.
I have been studying meteorites for a long time and have never encountered anything like this before. This has now completely abandoned the lesson. What could this substance be? – asks Loretta.
The other part of the samples was sent to the Natural History Museum in London, where it will also be analysed.
