On Sept. 24, seven years after it blasted off, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is expected to drop a capsule into the Earth’s atmosphere containing matter plucked from the surface of the asteroid
This NASA video frame grab handout image obtained on Oct. 21, 2020 shows NASA’s robotic arm from spacecraft Osiris-Rex making contact with asteroid Bennu to collect samples.A Canadian-built set of lasers helped guide OSIRIS to its destination and produced a relief map of Bennu accurate to within a couple centimetres of height.
“The Earth was formed by asteroids getting together,” he said. “Studying asteroids helps you understand the origins of our planet.”As well, Bennu is from an area of space that cooled off well before the central part of what became the solar system, “freezing” those materials before they were altered by heat. And grabbing samples directly from the asteroid’s surface means scientists don’t have to account for the effects that flying through Earth’s atmosphere has on meteorites.
Finally, Bennu is thought to be rich in carbon. That could mean it contains organic compounds — those composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Bennu’s bits won’t be the first asteroid pieces brought to Earth. Two previous Japanese missions have brought back samples.
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