A microscope picture of a darkish Bennu particle, a few millimeter lengthy, with a crust of vivid phosphate. To the fitting is a smaller fragment that broke off. Credit score: From Lauretta & Connolly et al. (2024) Meteoritics & Planetary Science, doi:10.1111/maps.14227Analysis of a pattern from asteroid Bennu discovered important life parts and hints of a watery previous, providing insights into photo voltaic system origins and prebiotic chemistry.Early evaluation of the asteroid Bennu pattern returned by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has revealed mud wealthy in carbon, nitrogen, and natural compounds, all of that are important parts for all times as we all know it. Dominated by clay minerals, significantly serpentine, the pattern mirrors the kind of rock discovered at mid-ocean ridges on Earth.The magnesium-sodium phosphate discovered within the pattern hints that the asteroid may have splintered off from an historic, small, primitive ocean world. The phosphate was a shock to the crew as a result of the mineral had not been detected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft whereas at Bennu.Whereas an analogous phosphate was discovered within the asteroid Ryugu pattern delivered by JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Company) Hayabusa2 mission in 2020, the magnesium-sodium phosphate detected within the Bennu pattern stands out for its purity (that’s, the dearth of different supplies included within the mineral) and the dimensions of its grains, unprecedented in any meteorite pattern.This mosaic of Bennu was created utilizing observations made by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft that was in shut proximity to the asteroid for over two years. Credit score: NASA/Goddard/College of ArizonaDiscoveries From Asteroid Bennu’s CompositionScientists have eagerly awaited the chance to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu pattern collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Useful resource Identification, and Safety – Regolith Explorer) mission because it was delivered to Earth final fall. They hoped the fabric would maintain secrets and techniques of the photo voltaic system’s previous and the prebiotic chemistry which may have led to the origin of life on Earth. An early evaluation of the Bennu pattern, printed not too long ago in Meteoritics & Planetary Science, demonstrates this pleasure was warranted.The OSIRIS-REx Pattern Evaluation Crew discovered that Bennu incorporates the unique components that fashioned our photo voltaic system. The asteroid’s mud is wealthy in carbon and nitrogen, in addition to natural compounds, all of that are important parts for all times as we all know it. The pattern additionally incorporates magnesium-sodium phosphate, which was a shock to the analysis crew, as a result of it wasn’t seen within the distant sensing information collected by the spacecraft at Bennu. Its presence within the pattern hints that the asteroid may have splintered off from a long-gone, tiny, primitive ocean world.A view of eight pattern trays containing the ultimate materials from asteroid Bennu. The mud and rocks had been poured into the trays from the highest plate of the Contact-and-Go Pattern Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) head. 51.2 grams had been collected from this pour, bringing the ultimate mass of asteroid pattern to 121.6 grams. Credit score: NASA/Erika Blumenfeld & Joseph AebersoldAnalysis of the Bennu pattern unveiled intriguing insights into the asteroid’s composition. Dominated by clay minerals, significantly serpentine, the pattern mirrors the kind of rock discovered at mid-ocean ridges on Earth, the place materials from the mantle, the layer beneath Earth’s crust, encounters water.This interplay doesn’t simply lead to clay formation; it additionally provides rise to a wide range of minerals like carbonates, iron oxides, and iron sulfides. However probably the most surprising discovery is the presence of water-soluble phosphates. These compounds are parts of biochemistry for all recognized life on Earth at present.Whereas an analogous phosphate was discovered within the asteroid Ryugu pattern delivered by JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Company) Hayabusa2 mission in 2020, the magnesium-sodium phosphate detected within the Bennu pattern stands out for its purity — that’s, the dearth of different supplies within the mineral — and the dimensions of its grains, unprecedented in any meteorite pattern.A tiny fraction of the asteroid Bennu pattern returned by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, proven in microscope pictures. The highest-left pane reveals a darkish Bennu particle, a few millimeter lengthy, with an outer crust of vivid phosphate. The opposite three panels present progressively zoomed-in views of a fraction of the particle that cut up off alongside a vivid vein containing phosphate, captured by a scanning electron microscope. Credit score: From Lauretta & Connolly et al. (2024) Meteoritics & Planetary Science, doi:10.1111/maps.14227The discovering of magnesium-sodium phosphates within the Bennu pattern raises questions concerning the geochemical processes that concentrated these parts and supplies precious clues about Bennu’s historic circumstances.“The presence and state of phosphates, together with different parts and compounds on Bennu, recommend a watery previous for the asteroid,” stated Dante Lauretta, co-lead creator of the paper and principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx on the College of Arizona, Tucson. “Bennu doubtlessly may have as soon as been a part of a wetter world. Though, this speculation requires additional investigation.”“OSIRIS-REx gave us precisely what we hoped: a big pristine asteroid pattern wealthy in nitrogen and carbon from a previously moist world,” stated Jason Dworkin, a co-author on the paper and the OSIRIS-REx challenge scientist at NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Heart in Greenbelt, Maryland.NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft leaving the floor of asteroid Bennu after gathering a pattern. Credit score: NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Heart/CI Lab/SVSDespite its doable historical past of interplay with water, Bennu stays a chemically primitive asteroid, with elemental proportions intently resembling these of the Solar.“The pattern we returned is the biggest reservoir of unaltered asteroid materials on Earth proper now,” stated Lauretta.This composition presents a glimpse into the early days of our photo voltaic system, over 4.5 billion years in the past. These rocks have retained their authentic state, having neither melted nor resolidified since their inception, affirming their historic origins.The crew has confirmed the asteroid is wealthy in carbon and nitrogen. These parts are essential in understanding the environments the place Bennu’s supplies originated and the chemical processes that remodeled easy parts into advanced molecules, doubtlessly laying the groundwork for all times on Earth.“These findings underscore the significance of gathering and learning materials from asteroids like Bennu — particularly low-density materials that may sometimes deplete upon coming into Earth’s ambiance,” stated Lauretta. “This materials holds the important thing to unraveling the intricate processes of photo voltaic system formation and the prebiotic chemistry that might have contributed to life rising on Earth.”Dozens extra labs in the USA and all over the world will obtain parts of the Bennu pattern from NASA’s Johnson Area Heart in Houston within the coming months, and lots of extra scientific papers describing analyses of the Bennu pattern are anticipated within the subsequent few years from the OSIRIS-REx Pattern Evaluation Crew.“The Bennu samples are tantalizingly stunning extraterrestrial rocks,” stated Harold Connolly, co-lead creator on the paper and OSIRIS-REx mission pattern scientist at Rowan College in Glassboro, New Jersey. “Every week, evaluation by the OSIRIS-REx Pattern Evaluation Crew supplies new and typically shocking findings which can be serving to place vital constraints on the origin and evolution of Earth-like planets.”Launched on September 8, 2016, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft traveled to near-Earth asteroid Bennu and picked up a pattern of rocks and mud from the floor. OSIRIS-REx, the primary U.S. mission to gather a pattern from an asteroid, delivered the pattern to Earth on September 24, 2023.Reference: “Asteroid (101955) Bennu within the laboratory: Properties of the pattern collected by OSIRIS-REx” by Dante S. Lauretta, Harold C. Connolly, Joseph E. Aebersold, Conel M. O’D. Alexander, Ronald-L. Ballouz, Jessica J. Barnes, Helena C. Bates, Carina A. Bennett, Laurinne Blanche, Erika H. Blumenfeld, Simon J. Clemett, George D. Cody, Daniella N. DellaGiustina, Jason P. Dworkin, Scott A. Eckley, Dionysis I. Foustoukos, Ian A. Franchi, Daniel P. Glavin, Richard C. Greenwood, Pierre Haenecour, Victoria E. Hamilton, Dolores H. Hill, Takahiro Hiroi, Kana Ishimaru, Fred Jourdan, Hannah H. Kaplan, Lindsay P. Keller, Ashley J. King, Piers Koefoed, Melissa Ok. Kontogiannis, Mortgage Le, Robert J. Macke, Timothy J. McCoy, Ralph E. Milliken, Jens Najorka, Ann N. Nguyen, Maurizio Pajola, Anjani T. Polit, Kevin Righter, Heather L. Roper, Sara S. Russell, Andrew J. Ryan, Scott A. Sandford, Paul F. Schofield, Cody D. Schultz, Laura B. Seifert, Shogo Tachibana, Kathie L. Thomas-Keprta, Michelle S. Thompson, Valerie Tu, Filippo Tusberti, Kun Wang, Thomas J. Zega, C. W. V. Wolner and , 26 June 2024, Meteoritics & Planetary Science.DOI: 10.1111/maps.14227NASA’s Goddard Area Flight Heart in Greenbelt, Maryland, supplied general mission administration, programs engineering, and the security and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the College of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator. The college leads the science crew and the mission’s science commentary planning and information processing. Lockheed Martin Area in Littleton, Colorado, constructed the spacecraft and supplied flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace had been accountable for navigating the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Curation for OSIRIS-REx takes place at NASA Johnson. Worldwide partnerships on this mission embody the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter instrument from CSA (Canadian Area Company) and asteroid pattern science collaboration with JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by NASA’s Marshall Area Flight Heart in Huntsville, Alabama, for the company’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.