NASA shares details of its first asteroid samples that were delivered by spacecraft

HOUSTON — NASA revealed Wednesday its first asteroid samples that were delivered by a spacecraft last month, according to The Associated Press.

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The sample of Bennu, a 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid that was collected in space and brought back to Earth through NASA, had evidence of high-carbon content and water, according to NASA. This indicated to scientists that “the building blocks of life on Earth may be found in the rock.”

The sample was shown off at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday, according to NASA. The sample was shown to leadership and scientists for the first time since September.

The sample was collected of black dust and chunks from Bennu which is located about 60 million miles away. According to the AP, the sample was collected by the Osiris-Rex spacecraft around three years ago. They were then dropped off in a capsule that flew by Earth in September.

“The OSIRIS-REx sample is the biggest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth and will help scientists investigate the origins of life on our own planet for generations to come,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Almost everything we do at NASA seeks to answer questions about who we are and where we come from. NASA missions like OSIRIS-REx will improve our understanding of asteroids that could threaten Earth while giving us a glimpse into what lies beyond. The sample has made it back to Earth, but there is still so much science to come – science like we’ve never seen before.”

The Bennu asteroid samples were the most that ever returned to Earth, according to the AP.

“It’s been going slow and meticulous,” said the mission’s lead scientist, Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, according to the AP.

“Already this is scientific treasure,” Lauretta said.