Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. In a significant development, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has discovered an unusual and unidentified material in samples from the potentially hazardous asteroid Bennu. The finding comes alongside evidence of organic molecules, offering new insights into the origins of life on Earth.
Scientists are intrigued by a perplexing discovery in samples retrieved from the asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, one that appears to be defying current understanding.
The samples from the 3-billion-year-old asteroid that were collected in late 2020 and described as dark, carbon-rich, and organic molecule-laden resemble “hummocky boulders” with a unique, rough texture. The specimen were obtained in late 2020 and only touched down on Earth about two months back.
Interestingly, Dante Lauretta, the mission’s principal investigator, noted during a conference held by the American Geophysical Union that these particles have a tendency to cling to any surface they touch.
The OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft, designed for a brief six-second contact with Bennu, unexpectedly plunged deeper and longer into the asteroid’s surface.
This led to an over-collection of material, resulting in some of it escaping from the sample collector’s head into the outer lid, due to a stone jamming open a small flap.
Currently, technicians are facing challenges in accessing the bulk of the collected sample due to two faulty fasteners. While awaiting new tools, officials have managed to collect 70.3 grams of the material, surpassing the anticipated 60 grams.
Initial spectral analysis of the material has revealed an unexplained dominant blue spectral signature, hinting at possibly higher water content than expected. Additionally, the samples show high levels of magnesium, sodium, and phosphorus, which adds to the mystery.
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