NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully returned a capsule containing 122 grams of dust and rock from asteroid Bennu, landing in Utah on September 24, 2023. This milestone marks the culmination of a two-year journey, during which the probe collected samples using a touch-and-go maneuver.
The capsule's design protected the sample from atmospheric effects, enabling a detailed analysis by over 40 global research institutions. Among the contributors were geoscientists from Goethe University Frankfurt, who utilized advanced techniques like transmission electron microscopy and trace element tomography to study the mineral grains.
Dr. Sheri Singerling, leading the research at the Schwiete Cosmochemistry Laboratory, noted that the team identified minerals formed from the evaporation of salty liquid water, termed evaporites. These findings provide insights into the conditions present on Bennu's protoplanetary parent body over four billion years ago.
Additionally, other research teams reported the presence of amino acids in the samples, indicating that Bennu's parent body contained essential building blocks for biomolecules, alongside water and energy sources. However, the disruption of this body halted evolutionary processes early on, preserving these traces for billions of years.
Experts suggest that celestial bodies like Saturn's moon Enceladus and the dwarf planet Ceres may still harbor liquid oceans beneath their ice, making them prime targets for future exploration in the search for extraterrestrial life.