NASA Finds Asteroids With Life-Giving Elements That Could Change Everything
Even though it’s 2023 and the scientific community has made incredible advancements in understanding not only the space around us but also our planet, there are still plenty of mysteries to be solved. According to The Byte, NASA has revealed that it’s found proof of “the building blocks of life on Earth” after its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was able to take some collections from asteroid Bennu. As luck would have it, the samples were heavy with both water and carbon, better shedding light on how our planet came to be and the help that it had from space.
A huge help in understanding how the Earth was formed into the life-filled planet that we know it as today, NASA’s latest finding displays just how important asteroids like Bennu are when it comes to forming sustainability. While researchers already had a hunch surrounding the importance of these types of asteroids, the OSIRIS-REx brought back the most insightful find yet.
…NASA has revealed that it’s found proof of “the building blocks of life on Earth” after its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was able to take some collections from asteroid Bennu
In a statement released with the milestone announcement, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said that this was “the biggest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth,” adding that it will undoubtedly give researchers a big step up as they look into the early days of life on our planet.
The mission of OSIRIS-REx has been an incredibly long one as it first launched all the way back in 2016 – the year that Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton faced off for the presidency and a full four years before the world would know what COVID-19 was. During a two-year study, the vessel took its time studying the gigantic asteroid, and by 2020, it was probing the surface, ultimately collecting somewhere around 8.8 ounces of samples. Finally making its way back to Earth, the craft landed in the Utah desert just last month, transporting its very impressive findings along with it.
…NASA administrator Bill Nelson said that this was “the biggest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth,” adding that it will undoubtedly give researchers a big step up as they look into the early days of life on our planet.
Since it arrived back safe and sound, scientists have been working hard to unpack all the samples that the OSIRIS-REx took from the asteroid, meticulously checking each and every piece to garner as much information as possible. After its years-long mission, the OSIRIS-REx won’t have too much downtime until it launches off on another mission to unfurl the mysteries surrounding another giant space rock called Apophis.
As we continue to seek out information about the other planets and galaxies surrounding us, the latest asteroid finding helps us better understand exactly how life came to be on Earth.
Although it’s only been one month since OSIRIS-REx returned with its information from Bennu, meaning that it’s still in the early days of discovery, the announcement made by NASA points to an exciting step forward for space research.
The news of their findings on the asteroid comes ahead of the scientists digging into the TAGSAM which was the primary device used to gather samples. This means that even without the bulk of the content, there’s still plenty for the team behind the discovery to be proud of.
As we continue to seek out information about the other planets and galaxies surrounding us, the latest asteroid finding helps us better understand exactly how life came to be on Earth. With so much more to be discovered in not only OSIRIS-REx’s finds on Bennu but the multitude of other mysteries of the cosmos, every day that passes is one step closer to uncovering the secrets of the universe.
