US EditionOSIRIS-REx Samples Show Bennu's Presolar Stardust, Interstellar Organics, and Fast-Than-Expected Weathering
- Scientists from an international team analyzed pristine samples collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission from asteroid Bennu, returned to Earth in 2023.
- The mission aimed to study Bennu's material because meteorites alter upon entering Earth's atmosphere, but these samples remained unchanged since arrival.
- Researchers found that Bennu formed over four billion years ago, likely in the outer Solar System, underwent aqueous alteration, and contains presolar stardust grains older than our sun.
- Two papers published on August 22, 2025, described Bennu's chemical transformation by water and space weathering, with Barnes stating, "This is work you just can't do with telescopes."
- These findings reveal Bennu as a cosmic time capsule with building blocks of life and water-bearing minerals, advancing understanding of solar system origins and potential sources of Earth's water.
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der Standard DE120 grams of dust from the asteroid Bennu brought a Nasa probe to Earth. His investigation tells the story of a celestial body older than the Earth
·Vienna, Austria
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New findings from UA’s asteroid sample mission
Its been a real point of pride that the University of Arizona led a mission to grab a sample of an asteroid and bring it to Earth. Now those samples are teaching us more about the early days of our solar system, and maybe more about how life began.Its been not quite two years since U of As Osiris Rex spacecraft brought back a sample from the asteroid Bennu. Scientists jumped on those samples right away and in that time they found some interestin…
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