NASA Unveils Historic Asteroid Sample Return Mission, Showcasing Most Samples Ever Returned to Earth

NASA unveiled its first-ever asteroid sample return mission on Wednesday, showing off the most ever returned to Earth. The samples, collected from the carbon-rich asteroid Bennu, are rich in carbon and contain water molecules locked up in clay minerals.

The samples were collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission three years ago and delivered to Earth last month. Astrobiologist Daniel Glavin, co-investigator for the mission, said scientists were immediately excited by the initial results.

At a public event at Johnson Space Center in Houston, NASA researchers detailed how the findings could help scientists understand how the solar system formed and how life started on Earth. Glavin said the mission yielded far more than expected, and that the right sample was brought back.

The main sample chamber has yet to be opened, officials said. The samples will be studied by scientists around the world over the next few years.

The mission marks a major milestone for NASA, which has been studying asteroids for decades. It is hoped that the findings from this mission will help inform future asteroid exploration and research.