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NASA Successfully Opens OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Revealing Water and Carbon

After overcoming stubborn fasteners, scientists now have access to the main sample which could shed light on the origins of life on Earth.

Overview

  • NASA has successfully opened the main canister of the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample, revealing dust and rocks up to 1 cm in size.
  • The sample, which was returned to Earth in September 2023, had remained sealed due to two stubborn fasteners that were finally removed on January 10, 2024.
  • Initial analyses of the sample have revealed the presence of water and carbon, suggesting that asteroids could have delivered life-supporting compounds to Earth billions of years ago.
  • The sample will now be transferred to pie-wedge trays, photographed, weighed, and stored at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
  • OSIRIS-REx, now renamed OSIRIS-APEX, is currently en route to another asteroid, the potentially hazardous object Apophis, with a rendezvous due to take place in 2029.