The space probe, which contains samples from the solar system’s most dangerous asteroid, landed today in the desert of Utah in the USA. The space probe, which is an unmanned spacecraft, landed using a parachute. Nasa researchers hope the sample materials, which have been taken from the surface of the asteroid Bennu, can give us the answer to how life on Earth originated. A year-long journey through space Already in 2016, Nasa’s space probe, which has been named Osiris-Rex, was sent from Earth. The journey on the way to Bennu was to take two years, and was 2 billion kilometres. Bennu is an asteroid the size of a mountain, which was discovered at the turn of the century. 7-YEAR JOURNEY: This illustration provided by NASA shows the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at asteroid Bennu. Photo: AP When the space probe arrived in 2018, it began creating the most accurate map of any object in the solar system. Today Sunday, after a full seven years, it finally returned with materials from the asteroid. Professor Sara Russell is a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum in London. They are one of the institutions that will analyze the samples from Bennu. – We’ve thought about it, we’ve talked about it, we’ve written about it, we’ve dreamed about it – and finally we’ll actually see it, says Russell to the BBC. Nasa estimates that the probe has 250 grams of dust on board, which will be analyzed by scientists around the world. The spacecraft from NASA’s Osiris-Rex mission lies on the ground shortly after landing in the desert at the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range. The sample was collected from the asteroid Bennu in October 2020. Photo: AP The origin of life It’s safe to say that the world’s scientific community is excited about Sunday’s landing – and what the samples can show them. Bennu is a carbonaceous asteroid. This means it has a lot of carbon in it. Carbon is the central element in the molecules that build up living beings. Both DNA, proteins, carbohydrates and fats are made up of different carbon structures. But astronomers looking for possible life on other planets are primarily looking for water. And Bennu is also likely to have a lot of water bound up in its minerals, perhaps as much as 10 percent of its mass. Coming out of the water and developing on dry land has been one of evolution’s great milestones; whether it concerns plants, fungi or animals. Delivery of water and carbon via asteroids hitting Earth may help explain why we have so much H2O and carbon on our planet. And thus perhaps how life on earth began. The most dangerous asteroid There is an important reason why scientists are trying to learn more about Bennu. It tops Nasa’s list of the most dangerous space rocks. Every six years, its orbit around the sun brings it close to Earth – sometimes dangerously close. TOTAL DESTRUCTION: A hit from an asteroid the size of Bennu could cause complete destruction to a city the size of London and the surrounding areas. Photo: AP Scientists have calculated that the chance of it smashing into our planet is one in 1,750 during the next 300 years. The date they are most concerned about is September 24, 2182. To put the odds into context, that’s the same as flipping a coin and getting heads 11 times in a row. It’s a small risk, but one that scientists take seriously, because a strike from a 500-meter-wide space rock could cause complete devastation to a city the size of London and the surrounding areas. So it makes sense to get up close and personal with Bennu. If we know what the asteroid is made of, we can come up with ways to stop it – if we ever need to.
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