2023-10-12 15:17:06
The sample collected from the asteroid Bennu by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) OSIRIS-REx mission contains water and high amounts of carbon, the space agency revealed this Wednesday, releasing the preliminary results of the analysis of the material.
Although more work is needed to understand the nature of the carbon compounds found, the discovery paves the way for future research. NASA itself predicts that the secrets contained in the rocks and dust of the asteroid will be studied for decades.
The OSIRIS-REx mission launched the container with the material collected from Bennu on September 24 during its passage by Earth and, without landing, continued its course towards the asteroid Apophis.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the Bennu material “is the largest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth and will help scientists investigate the origins of life on our own planet for generations.” .
“Almost everything we do at NASA seeks to answer questions regarding who we are and where we come from. NASA missions like OSIRIS-REx will improve our understanding of asteroids that might threaten Earth, while also giving us insight. idea of what lies beyond,” he said.
With information from Actualidad RT
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