What can a handful of asteroid dust tell us about the origins of life?

The cast of Asteroid City joins NASA experts to discuss the OSIRIS-REx mission. This historic project successfully returned the largest asteroid sample ever collected to Earth, providing a rare opportunity to study the building blocks of our solar system and the potential origins of life on our planet.

Launched in September 2016, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft traveled to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, formerly known as 1999 RQ36. In October 2020, the craft successfully gathered a collection of rocks and dust from the asteroid's surface. This material returned to Earth on September 24, 2023, landing via parachute at the Utah Test and Training Range.

By analyzing these grains, researchers aim to determine if ancient asteroid collisions billions of years ago were responsible for delivering water and essential life-sustaining ingredients to Earth. This mission represents the first time the United States has collected and returned an asteroid sample, offering a direct look into the early conditions of our solar system.

Source: ‘Asteroid City’ Cast Asks NASA About OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Mission