The first analyzes of the sample from the asteroid Bennu brought back by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission revealed the presence of dust rich in carbon, nitrogen and organic compounds, all essential components for life as we know it. The sample, dominated by clay minerals, particularly serpentine, reflects the type of rock found at Earth’s mid-ocean ridges.
Magnesium sodium phosphate found in the sample suggests the asteroid could have broken away from an ancient ocean world, small and primitive. The phosphate was a surprise to the team because the mineral had not been detected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft while it was on Bennu.
While A similar phosphate was found in the Ryugu asteroid sample delivered by JAXA’s Hayabusa2 mission (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in 2020, the sodium magnesium phosphate detected in the Bennu sample stands out for its purity (i.e. the lack of other materials included in the mineral) and the size of its grains, unprecedented in any meteorite sample.
Scientists have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to delve deeper into the pristine 121.6-gram Bennu asteroid sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) mission since it was delivered to Earth last fall. They hoped the material would contain secrets of the solar system’s past and the prebiotic chemistry that could have led to the origin of life on Earth. An initial analysis of the Bennu sample, published Wednesday in Meteoritics & Planetary Science, shows that this enthusiasm was justified.
The OSIRIS-REx sample analysis team found that Bennu contains the original ingredients that formed the solar system. The asteroid’s dust is rich in carbon and nitrogen, as well as organic compounds, all of which are essential components for life. The sample also contains sodium magnesium phosphate, which was a surprise to the research team.
