Asteroid Bennu Holds the Building Blocks of Life | NASA/CSA/CNES

Asteroid Bennu Holds the Building Blocks of Life | NASA/CSA/CNES

The origin of life is one of the deepest mysteries in science, but the clues to solving it have been buried by plate tectonics, the water cycle, and even life itself. For answers, scientists are looking beyond Earth to primitive asteroids like Bennu, the target of NASA’s daring OSIRIS-REx sample return mission conducted in cooperation with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and France (CNES). OSIRIS-REx gathered pristine material from Bennu in 2020 and delivered it to Earth in 2023. Now, rocks from Bennu are revealing a lost world from the dawn of the solar system with the right conditions to foster the building blocks of life.

OSIRIS-REx delivered 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of material from asteroid Bennu; the largest asteroid sample ever collected in space and over twice the mission’s mass requirement. Several samples have already been distributed to members of the OSIRIS-REx sample analysis team. They have found evidence of organic molecules and minerals bearing phosphorous and water that together could indicate the building blocks essential for life may be found in these rocks.

Canada contributed technical and scientific expertise to the OSIRIS-REx mission. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) provided the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA), a LIDAR system able to scan the asteroid from up to 7 km away, and supports:
--Scientists and engineers on OLA's development and operations team
--Scientists from Canadian institutions that are part of the broader OSIRIS-REx science team

French space agency CNES did not provide instruments for this mission but is supporting the work of several co-investigators involved in the project.

Learn more about OSIRIS-REx and asteroid Bennu: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex
Follow sample-delivery updates on NASA's OSIRIS-REx Blog: 
https://blogs.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/
OSIRIS-REx NASA Page: 
https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

Canadian Space Agency OSIRIS-REx Mission P    age:

https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/osiris-rex/
University of Arizona's OSIRIS-REx Mission Page: 
http://www.asteroidmission.org
University of Arizona's OSIRIS-APEX Mission Page:
https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/missions/osiris-apex

Credit: NASA, SVS, U. Arizona, CSA, York University, MDA
Visualizer: Kel Elkins (Lead, SVS)
Duration: 30 seconds
Release Date: Feb. 10, 2025

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