[Reading Science] Asteroid Bennu Sample Arrives... Will It Unlock the Secrets of the Solar System?

"The largest-ever asteroid sample that will unlock the secrets of the formation and evolution of the solar system has arrived!"

This is the reaction of scientists after the international academic journal Nature reported on the 24th (local time) that the sample from the asteroid Bennu has arrived. NASA's Bennu probe OSIRIS-REx dropped the sample from an altitude of 101,000 km in Earth's orbit and it landed at the Department of Defense test and training range in Utah, USA, raising high expectations.

This is the third time humanity has collected asteroid samples and brought them back to Earth. Japan previously brought back samples from the asteroids Itokawa (1 mg) and Ryugu (5.4 g) through the Hayabusa 1 and 2 probes in 2010 and 2020, respectively. The Ryugu sample attracted great interest after the discovery of uracil, one of the bases that make up RNA, a fundamental element of life.

Expectations for the Bennu sample are much higher. First, the amount is overwhelmingly large at 250 g. This allows for various studies and analyses with high reliability. Bringing asteroid samples directly to Earth for analysis is on a completely different level from traditional meteorite research. Meteorites usually undergo extreme heat and pressure during atmospheric entry and are often contaminated after landing. When asteroid samples are brought to Earth without interference or alteration, as in this case, not only chemical composition but also geological analysis is possible. Bennu has existed since about 4.5 billion years ago, when the solar system was formed. This is why the analysis of this sample is expected to unlock the secrets of the birth and evolution of the solar system.

Scientists are also focusing on whether organic materials, which are components of life, can be found in Bennu’s carbon-rich sample. Theories vary on when and where life on Earth originated. Among them, the asteroid origin theory suggests that materials forming life, such as water and organic compounds, were delivered to Earth via asteroids. Some meteorites have been found to contain such organic materials. Since Bennu is rich in carbon, the most abundant element in life, scientists believe that discovering carbon-based organic materials and molecules would provide further evidence supporting the asteroid origin theory.

Daniel Glavin, senior researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, told Nature, "The most anticipated discovery is whether we can find nucleobases, the genetic building blocks of life such as RNA or DNA, in the Bennu sample." He added, "Nucleobases have been found in meteorites before, but contamination was possible; however, the Bennu sample is well preserved."

NASA’s research team arrived at the site about an hour after the drop and recovered the capsule. To prevent atmospheric contamination, the capsule was placed in a nitrogen tank and transported to the Johnson Space Center in Texas. It is expected to take several weeks just to extract the sample. Following this, research and analysis will involve not only NASA but also private scientists and teams from Canada and Japan. NASA will keep 70% of the sample, while 25% will be distributed to over 200 scientists at 35 research institutions, 4% to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and 0.5% to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). South Korea is not included among the recipients.

Meanwhile, the OSIRIS-REx probe has begun a new journey to explore another asteroid, Apophis, the very asteroid South Korea planned to explore using the Nuri rocket in 2029.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.