Osiris-Rex's sample from asteroid Bennu will reveal secrets of our solar system
Scientists hope the samples from an asteroid will tell us more about what led to life on Earth - but it may not be revealed for a few generations.
It will make the most incredible unboxing video.
In the coming days, NASA scientists will open the capsule containing dust from the asteroid Bennu and delve into the secrets of our solar system.
There are just 250g or so of material inside the heavily protected shell that plunged through the atmosphere before parachuting gently into the Utah's west desert.
But scientists hope it will tell us more about how planets form as well as the origin of organic molecules and water that led to life on Earth.
Smash and grab operation
The Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected the dust in a smash and grab from Bennu in 2020.
The asteroid is a rubble pile of material that formed early in the history of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
It's a pristine time capsule because the material has escaped the intense heat and pressure that occurs when planets form - and the weathering that has happened since.
The Earth is regularly bombarded with meteorites, but these undergo chemical changes during their fiery descent through the atmosphere.
That's why the spacecraft was sent more than a billion miles through space to scoop up an unadulterated sample from Bennu.
There is another reason that scientists are interested in the asteroid.
news.sky.com
