NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe successfully completed its mission, arriving safely on Earth after three years on the surface of the asteroid Bennu.
The equipment is bringing an important sample of the celestial body, being the first of its kind to reach the planet.
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The probe landed this Sunday (24), around 12:30 pm, Brasília time. Now, the sample collected from the asteroid is undergoing the necessary processes to begin its evaluation.
Understand the importance of arriving and studying this material
Being an asteroid considered “potentially dangerous” by NASA, Bennu is similar in shape to a top and is about half a kilometer wide. Studying the properties of this asteroid can bring us new ideas and conclusions about the birth of planets.
It is believed that asteroids like this are responsible for the arrival of water on planet Earth, for example, and can clarify several doubts.
Upon arrival, the sample will be taken to a safe location and in an environment free from interference, including oxygen, to preserve its composition.
After removing the sample from NASA equipment, it will undergo several tests to recognize its formation structure.
In this way, it becomes possible to identify some of the particularities of the formation of asteroid Bennu and the link of this type of space-traveling body with the birth of the Solar System.
What experts say on the subject
“Space missions, like OSIRIS-REx, are like fieldwork for meteoricists. They are the next step that will allow us to learn more about these extremely important rocks and what they can tell us about the world. beginning of the Solar System”, says Professor Sara Russell, part of the OSIRIS-REx sample analysis team at the Natural History Museum of London.
The Bennu sample, brought back by the NASA mission, will bring several answers to important questions about the formation of the Solar System as we know it.
In this way, it contributes to the formation of new theories and to the demystification of some points present in previous theories.
Furthermore, after delivering the samples, the mission will have its name changed to OSIRIS-APEX, and will head towards another object close to Earth.
The next target will be the asteroid known as Apophis, and the probe should contact it around the year 2029 to bring back more samples for evaluation.
