According to NASA scientists, samples have been obtained from the Bennu asteroid that could provide crucial insight into the formation of our solar system. Collected in October 2020, the samples were returned to earth on September 24th and have since been exhaustively analyzed by NASA scientists.
The mission was carried out by Nasa’s OSIRIS- Rex spacecraft, which extracted the samples from distant Bennu after traveling millions of miles to intercept its solar orbit. Upon returning to earth, scientists identified the samples’ contents using electron microscopes and infrared measurements. “Our labs were ready for whatever Bennu had in store for us,” NASA director Vanessa Wynche said.
Pure carbon was identified, and other elements that have been around since the creation of our universe. Preserved by the vacuum of space, asteroid Bennu had never undergone the same property-changing processes that have altered the elemental composition of most other rocks in the universe.
For this reason, the contents of the Bennu sample have remained unchanged since the universe exploded into existence billions of years ago. That being said, scientists will now be able to better understand these pure, ancient elements. They will use that information to determine how those elements combined with other elements and changed over time to create our universe today.
“We are unlocking a time capsule that offers us profound insights into the origins of our solar system,” Osiris-Rex principal investigator Dante Lauretta said.
Beyond providing insight into the origins of our existence, Bennu itself also has the potential to greatly improve our existence today. The total value of Bennu’s contents, if harvested, was estimated at over 600 billion dollars. That amount of money, if properly administered and spent, could feed all of earth’s underfed for years.
On the other hand, Bennu also has the potential to destroy life as we know it. Between the years 2175 and 2199, scientists have estimated that Bennu has a 1 in 2,700 chance of colliding with earth. If this were to happen, even a glancing blow would prove catastrophic. Bennu is massive, and contains an amount of potential energy that is roughly equivalent to 24 of the largest nuclear bombs ever created.
Asteroid Bennu has proven that it can simultaneously fulfill our imaginative itches and offer us practical insight.
"We're trying to find out who we are, what we are, where we came from. What is our place in this vastness called the Universe?" NASA administrator Bill Nelson said.
Bennu’s significance In the above area will only increase as we learn more about it. Scientists have already begun to ask more questions, and make additional revelations about this massive near-earth asteroid. It stands to reason that we will be getting more samples from Bennu in the near future, and who knows what secrets they will hold. Moreover, given the current rate of scientific advancement, it stands to reason that we may soon be able to actually utilize Bennu, and extract its precious resources.
Clearly, Bennu and its samples are objectively interesting. Nonetheless, the story was only present in the news cycle for a day or two, and information about other aspects of Bennus' importance was even harder to find. This begs the question: Are people really not interested in the asteroid, or has the media misjudged the marketability of the story?
“In all honesty I don’t think people really care that much- I think people are happy not knowing because ignorance is bliss,” NHS junior Marco Raslan said.
Despite the general disinterest, Raslan expressed a desire to understand the asteroid.
Members of the NHS staff echoed this sentiment. When asked if he would like to learn more about the asteroid, “absolutely, I’m intrigued by this stuff,” NHS security guard Tony Paz said.
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