NASA reveals OSIRIS-REx samples from asteroid Bennu

Bennu material dislodged from the TAGSAM head. Credit: NASA/Erika Blumenfeld/Joseph Aebersold

On October 11, 2023, NASA revealed the first pictures of samples obtained from the near Earth asteroid Bennu.

The OSIRIS-REx (Now APEX) spacecraft launched towards the asteroid Bennu on an Atlas V rocket in 2016. Two years later, in 2018, the spacecraft entered orbit around Bennu. Bennu was thought to be a smooth, sandy object, but turned out to be made of large hazardous boulders.

After redesigning the sample plan, the OSIRIS-REx team successfully gathered samples in 2020. After departing Bennu in March of 2021, OSIRIS-REx dropped off its sample return capsule on September 24, 2023. The spacecraft used its thrusters to alter its trajectory, so it wouldn't burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

View of capsule release from one of OSIRIS-REx's navigation cameras. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin

OSIRIS-REx return capsule and its parachute. Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber

After carefully transporting the capsule to a temporary clean room, it was transported to Johnson space center the following day. After a couple of weeks of slowly opening the capsule, we finally have images of the first samples.

Small dust particles that were dislodged from TAGSAM. Credit: NASA/Erika Blumenfeld/Joseph Aebersold

As expected, the material is rich in hydrated minerals, and carbon. In fact, carbon makes up 5% of the samples by mass, which is more than the amount found in any other samples. This also makes the samples glissen in a way not dissimilar from graphite (pencil lead).

While this is very exciting, it's just the beginning. Scientists will be researching these samples for decades to come, and we'll make many new discoveries along the way.

The Target

Mosaic of Bennu. Credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

• Date Discovered: September 11, 1999
• Designation: 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)
• Class: Apollo [NEO]
• Radius: 241 Meters
• Rotational Period: 4.3 Hours
• Orbital Period: 436.65 Days (1.2 Years)