Highlights: OSIRIX-REx probe collects largest cosmic harvest ever from beyond the Moon. NASA probe brought back to Earth last September samples taken in situ on the asteroid Bennu, 50 million kilometers from Earth. A billion dollars for 121 grams of dust is not cheap, but since this dust dates from the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago, NASA has taken out the checkbook. 70% of the material reported is put aside for the benefit of future generations and their possible best analysis tools.

It’s a space mission that keeps its promises. The NASA probe, OSIRIX-REx, brought back to Earth last September samples taken in situ on the asteroid Bennu, 50 million…

OSIRIX-REx probe collects largest cosmic harvest ever from beyond the Moon

It’s a space mission that keeps its promises. The NASA probe, OSIRIX-REx, brought back to Earth last September samples taken

in situ

on the asteroid Bennu, 50 million kilometers from Earth. The American space agency was then faced with a “rich man's problem”: the craft had brought back much more dust than expected, so much so that it had difficulty extracting it for analysis. This is now in the past and the first results confirm the hopes placed by the scientific community in this mission.

This photo provided by NASA on January 22, 2024 shows a view of eight sample trays containing the final material from the asteroid Bennu. © NASA via AP - Erika Blumenfeld and Joseph Aebersold

By: RFI Follow

A billion dollars for 121 grams of dust is not cheap. But since this dust dates from the formation of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago, NASA has taken out the checkbook. Patrick Michel, research director of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the Côte d'Azur Observatory and member of the scientific council of

the OSIRIX-REx mission,

explains that "

by going to collect samples of such bodies , this allows us to have access to initial training. Finally, we go back in time.

Go back in time to understand what conditions reigned at the time of the formation of the

Earth

, but also to find out how our planet, so close to the Sun, was able to accommodate so much liquid water. Asteroids could have had a role. The analysis of Bennu samples goes in this direction.

“

At the end of the formation of the Earth, there were many impacts, and the impacts perhaps brought water, and organic matter which, by mixing, could make life emerge. In Bennu, we have organic matter, we have water, this gives us good arguments to say that the scenarios which presided over this importance of asteroid in the emergence of life are, in any case, not contradicted by what we are measuring

,” adds Patrick Michel.

To go further, it will be necessary to continue the study of the samples. Long-term work; 70% of the material reported is put aside for the benefit of future generations and their possible best analysis tools.

OSIRIX-REx probe collects largest cosmic harvest ever from beyond the Moon

OSIRIX-REx probe collects largest cosmic harvest ever from beyond the Moon

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