Today, NASA showed journalists photos and a video of the first samples of material from an asteroid brought back by its space probe last month, which is the most samples of its kind ever brought to Earth.
Scientists and space agency leaders participated in the presentation of the findings at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The pile of ancient black dust and debris was brought from the carbon-rich asteroid Benu, 97 million kilometers from Earth.
NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft collected samples when it deliberately collided with an asteroid three years ago, and sent them back to Earth encased in a capsule as it flew past Earth last month.
The scientists expected at least as much material as would fit in one cup, which is far more than what Japan obtained from several missions years ago.
However, the exact amount of samples sent by Osiris-Rex is not yet known because the main sample chamber has yet to be opened, officials said.
"It's slow and it's done meticulously," said the mission's chief scientist, Dante Loretta of the University of Arizona, explaining that the black dust and particles scattered around the outer edge of the chamber are "scientific treasures" because it's the material that believes that it originates from the origin of the solar system.
In addition to carbon, the material from the asteroid contains clay minerals, which in turn contain water, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said, adding that it is believed that this is how water arrived on Earth in the first place.
"Minerals like those from Benue landed on Earth four to 4,5 billion years ago, making our world habitable," he said.
That was one of the primary reasons for the seven-year, billion-dollar mission: to understand how the solar system, and Earth in particular, formed. "There's nothing more exciting than that," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Back in 2020, Loretta and his team lost part of their catch when the lid on the sample container got stuck several days after the spacecraft collected the material. She sucked so many pieces from Benu that the pebbles got stuck under the lid and prevented it from closing, and some of the material "floated" into space.
That's why scientists haven't had a precise measurement of what's coming back. Before the probe landed on September 24 in the American desert of Utah, they estimated that it was 250 grams, or about one cup, but how much it actually is, they will know when the container is opened in about two weeks.
Much of the material shown on Wednesday was on the outside, near the lid, when it got stuck open, before everything could be closed inside the capsule for return to Earth. Larger visible pieces are less than 2,5 centimeters.
"We already have an abundance of samples in our hands, and we're not even inside"- the main sample container, said NASA Astromaterials Curator Francis McCubbin.
Once the samples are archived, the team will distribute the particles to researchers around the world, keeping a significant amount for future analysis when better technology becomes available.
NASA has another asteroid-chasing spacecraft on the launch pad in Florida, ready to take off as early as this Sunday. Its destination will be the rare metal asteroid "Psyche". However, the samples will not be returned to Earth.
Bonus video:
