US EditionSpacedust from asteroid Bennu provides glimpse into celestial past
- NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission collected 122 grams of material from asteroid Bennu, returning samples to Earth in September 2023.
- The mission launched in 2016 and included a Canadian laser altimeter tool that helped select Bennu's sampling site after extensive surveys.
- Analyses indicate that Bennu originated more than 4 billion years ago as a fragment resulting from the breakup of a bigger asteroid, incorporating materials from both the solar system and ancient stardust that predate it.
- Dr. Patrick Hill of the Canadian Space Agency stated that the CSA is developing the expertise and facilities needed to handle and preserve its inaugural extraterrestrial sample, with Canada set to receive just under five grams.
- These untouched samples provide valuable information about the Solar System’s formation and indicate that weathering from space occurs more quickly on carbon-rich objects; meanwhile, Canada is gearing up for related studies starting in 2026 or later.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Scientists Solve the Mystery of Why Similar Asteroids Look Different Colours
When NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned from its mission to asteroid Bennu in 2023, it brought back more than just ancient space rocks, it delivered answers to puzzles that have baffled astronomers for years. Among the most intriguing questions was why asteroids that should look identical through telescopes appear strikingly different colours from Earth.
Next year, Canada will become the fifth country to retain space samples, while receiving a portion of the Bennu asteroid.
The Epoch Times
beritaja.comSpacedust From Asteroid Bennu Provides Glimpse Into Celestial Past
New research on a sample collected from the asteroid Bennu—a small portion of which should arrive in Canada soon—is offering a glimpse into how it came to be. Studies published in Nature Astronomy and Nature Geoscience last week offer some insight into the granules that were collected and brought to Earth in September 2023 as part of NASA-led OSIRIS-REx mission. The three studies, which include Canadian scholars, found that Bennu is a near-Earth…
Spacedust from asteroid Bennu provides glimpse into celestial past
MONTREAL — New research on a sample collected from the asteroid Bennu — a small portion of which should arrive in Canada soon — is offering a glimpse into how it came to be. Studies published in Nature Astronomy and Nature Geoscience last week offer some insight into the granules that were collected and brought […]
NASA analyzes new samples from asteroid Bennu and confirms it is older than the Milky Way.
New analyses of samples returned by the OSIRIS-REx mission reveal that Bennu is a cluster of materials that formed in different corners of the cosmos, from the inner solar system to extinct stars.Mosaic image of asteroid Bennu, created from images of the asteroid captured by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of ArizonaThe asteroid Bennu, the target of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission led by the University of Arizona, is comp…
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