1st asteroid sample collection from outer space displayed for public in US Capital

WASHINGTON, US - NOVEMBER 3, 2023: The first asteroid sample collected from outer space from asteroid Bennu was displayed at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, US, on Friday (Nov. 3). OSIRIS-REx, which stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer, was launched Sept. 8, 2016. It was the first US mission to collect an uncontaminated sample from outer space from asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft returned to Earth on Sept. 24 to drop off a capsule with the material which will be studied by more than 200 scientists from around the world. The seven-year mission yielded 250 grams (8.8 ounces) of asteroid dust and molecules, which was nearly four times the amount NASA expected OSIRIS-REx to collect. The first analysis of the samples revealed hydrated clay minerals containing carbon. The samples also include sulfur and iron oxide materials, which scientists said are critical to the study of biology and organic evolution. Also crucial is that the minerals collected from Bennu are water-bearing. NASA said the mission that saw OSIRIS-REx travel nearly 4 billion miles through the solar system to Bennu and back to Earth is part of its goal to press the unknown to try and find the origins of our existence. (Footage by Yasin Öztürk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)