Posted on Oct 12, 2023
Take a peek at what NASA brought back from an asteroid
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https://www.npr.org/2023/10/12/ [login to see] /take-a-peek-at-what-nasa-brought-back-from-an-asteroid
NASA has shared its first glimpse of the black rocks and dust brought back from an asteroid, but the bulk of the material remains locked inside a sample collection device that researchers need to slowly disassemble.
Still, the tiny amount of material analyzed so far shows that the asteroid, named Bennu, contains abundant water and carbon, adding to evidence that asteroids may have seeded the early Earth with ingredients needed for the emergence of life.
"We're already thrilled with the results," says Dante Lauretta, the principal investigator for NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, which sent a spacecraft on a seven-year mission to Bennu and back.
NASA has shared its first glimpse of the black rocks and dust brought back from an asteroid, but the bulk of the material remains locked inside a sample collection device that researchers need to slowly disassemble.
Still, the tiny amount of material analyzed so far shows that the asteroid, named Bennu, contains abundant water and carbon, adding to evidence that asteroids may have seeded the early Earth with ingredients needed for the emergence of life.
"We're already thrilled with the results," says Dante Lauretta, the principal investigator for NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, which sent a spacecraft on a seven-year mission to Bennu and back.
Take a peek at what NASA brought back from an asteroid
Posted from npr.org
NASA
Space
Research
Science
Posted 7 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Workers rushed the canister to a special lab set up at NASA's Johnson Space Center. There, workers opened it up inside of special cabinets, so the pristine asteroid samples wouldn't get contaminated with Earth stuff.
Once the canister was unsealed, researchers immediately saw black asteroid dust and slightly larger particles. Those got sent to labs for analysis — and the results have scientists excited.
"We have verified that Bennu is dominated by water-bearing clay minerals," says Lauretta."...
..."Workers rushed the canister to a special lab set up at NASA's Johnson Space Center. There, workers opened it up inside of special cabinets, so the pristine asteroid samples wouldn't get contaminated with Earth stuff.
Once the canister was unsealed, researchers immediately saw black asteroid dust and slightly larger particles. Those got sent to labs for analysis — and the results have scientists excited.
"We have verified that Bennu is dominated by water-bearing clay minerals," says Lauretta."...
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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