Monisha Ravisetti is Space.com's Astronomy Editor. She covers black holes, star explosions, gravitational waves, exoplanet discoveries and other enigmas hidden across the fabric of space and time. Previously, she was a science writer at CNET, and before that, reported for The Academic Times.
Jam packed issues filled with the latest cutting-edge research, technology and theories delivered in an entertaining and visually stunning way, aiming to educate and inspire readers of all agesThere are 20 amino acids that create the proteins required for life on our planet — and scientists have now found exactly 14 of them on an asteroid millions of miles away. The asteroid in question, named Bennu, was the focus of a very dreamy NASA mission called OSIRIS-REx that launched in 2016.
For instance, scientists identified evidence of a salty brine, or"broth," with traces of 11 minerals rich in sodium carbonate, phosphate, sulfate, chloride and fluoride.Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors
The OSIRIS-REx team says this suggests Bennu — or at least the parent asteroid from which Bennu is believed to have broken off — must have once existed in the colder, outer regions of space because ammonia is a volatile substance. For ammonia to exist in salt form, the environment must be cold.
"I have to admit, I was a little disillusioned or disappointed," Glavin said."I felt like this had invalidated 20 years of research in our lab and my career. But I mean, here's the thing: This is exactly why we explore. This is why we do these missions, right? If we knew everything in advance, we wouldn't need to do an OSIRIS REx to bring these samples back."There are a few things worth noting when it comes to the novelty of OSIRIS-REx.
"The bottom line is we have a higher confidence that the organic material we're seeing in these samples are extraterrestrial and not contamination," Glavin said."We can trust these results."
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