Q&A: Asteroid rocks may hold secrets to the origin of the solar system

Early Sunday morning, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft launched a container that subsequently landed in Utah containing materials from Bennu, a carbon-rich asteroid within the solar system.

The occasion ended a seven-year mission for the spacecraft, also referred to as the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Sources Identification and Safety-Regolith Explorer.

UVA Right now checked in with Anne Verbiscer, a analysis professor within the College of Virginia’s Division of Astronomy, to study extra concerning the mission and why it is crucial.

Verbiscer specializes within the construction and composition of surfaces within the outer solar system and has been a member of three totally different NASA spacecraft mission groups: Voyager, Cassini and New Horizons. She is presently a deputy undertaking scientist on the New Horizons Kuiper Belt Prolonged Mission.

Q. What’s essential concerning the OSIRIS-REx mission?

For the USA, that is the primary mission that has gone to an asteroid and returned samples from the floor after touching it. Japan has carried out this earlier than—returned samples from the same asteroid known as Ryugu, very very similar to Bennu.

Getting samples from an asteroid offers actual floor fact. We are saying that there is a connection between meteorites we discover on Earth and asteroids. That helps us make connections between the compositions that you just measure with the precise rock that you just’re holding in your hand and ground-based astronomy, the place you look by means of a telescope at an asteroid and use a spectrometer and measure absorptions by totally different minerals and molecules on the floor to measure its floor composition.

And it is also a approach to get beneath the floor. You possibly can’t try this with ground-based astronomy. You are simply trying on the floor.

Q. What’s within the samples?

Basically, rock samples, however ranging extensively in dimension. Some so small you’ll think about it dust, but in addition precise rock chunks, just a few centimeters or so in dimension that you could possibly maintain in your hand—the entire vary. And the way a lot materials was introduced again? That is to be decided. The spacecraft did do a guess measurement of how a lot pattern it bought, nevertheless it wasn’t very actual. It is prone to be within the vary of 250 grams to as a lot as 600 grams, roughly 8 to 21 ounces.

Q. What’s it that the scientists hope to study from this materials?

The connections that they wish to make are to measure the precise composition of our bodies that fashioned early within the solar system’s historical past and have not been modified all that a lot. Or you’ll be able to inform how a lot modification there was. This may assist us study extra concerning the origin of the solar system and the way the asteroids had been put collectively.

Q. How huge is Bennu, and the way outdated is it?

Bennu is about 1,600 toes in diameter, standing a bit taller than the Empire State Constructing. Bennu’s age is commensurate with the age of the solar system, 4.5 billion years, and that is why it is of curiosity, as a result of it fashioned so way back. The oldest rocks on Earth are about 4 billion years outdated.

Q. How lengthy will it take to research the Bennu materials?

The pattern container was flown to NASA’s Johnson House Middle in Houston, the place the Astromaterials Curation Website is positioned. That is the place all of the moon rocks went after the Apollo missions and meteorites collected right here on Earth are despatched for evaluation. They’ve the correct tools and clear rooms there.

They are going to do this very fastidiously. There are a number of layers defending each the samples from any form of contamination we might give it after which again the opposite approach to contamination from the samples for any people. They are going to take the time to do the cautious, thorough evaluation.

Q. What do they hope to seek out within the samples?

The first evaluation might be composition, measuring what these rocks are manufactured from and if there are any distinctive isotopes and minerals. We have been taking a look at this object and we have had close-up views of it from the spacecraft for years now, so we all know typically what the floor is manufactured from. However there are limits to distant sensing, with out touching it and analyzing it. Now you will have actual samples which you could lower in half and see what they appear to be inside. You possibly can’t try this with only a telescope taking a look at an object in space. We slice meteorites open on a regular basis and measure their elemental composition and crystal constructions inside the article. They will be slicing these rocks up.

Q. How huge is the OSIRIS-REx explorer and what occurs to it now?

OSIRIS-REx is 8 by 8 by 10 toes, a bit of bit greater than a grand piano. The spacecraft itself got here near Earth on Sunday morning and jettisoned a touchdown craft, and had to do this very fastidiously as a result of you need to enter the Earth’s ambiance at simply the correct angle. When you are available too shallow, you may simply bounce off the ambiance. When you are available too steep, you may dissipate. It’s important to get the angle excellent.

The spacecraft itself, the OSIRIS-REx, has now bought a brand new goal. OSIRIS-APEX is the identify of the brand new mission, and it is heading to a different asteroid known as Apophis. So it is bought a complete new goal in life, having an encounter with one other asteroid. It will not be taking a pattern as a result of it solely had one pattern collector, however it should attempt to dislodge dust and tiny rocks on the floor of Apophis by firing the spacecraft’s gasoline thrusters at it.

Q. What data is it purported to ship again about Apophis?

OSIRIS-APEX will go into orbit round Apophis in 2029, flying with the asteroid for 18 months, simply after the asteroid’s shut fly-by previous the Earth. Identical to OSIRIS-REx did with Bennu, OSIRIS-APEX will take close-up footage of Apophis and measure its floor composition utilizing its on-board spectrometers.

Q. Are there different missions to check different asteroids?

This fall is sort of a busy time for asteroid science at NASThe Psyche spacecraft is scheduled to launch round Oct. 12 from Kennedy House Middle, beginning a six-year journey to the asteroid Psyche. Psyche is a singular asteroid as a result of it’s metal-rich. Initially, it was regarded as the remnant metallic core of a bigger asteroid, however I believe now the consensus is that it is not a remnant core. There are silicates on the floor along with iron and nickel, however nonetheless the metallic content material may be very excessive on this specific asteroid.

One other asteroid mission known as Lucy, launched in 2021, could have its first shut flyby on Nov. 1 when it should encounter the asteroid Dinkinesh. The Dinkinesh flyby will function a check for the upcoming flybys of Lucy’s major targets, six of the Trojan asteroids positioned in Jupiter’s orbit. Lucy bought its identify from the hominid fossil known as Lucy that was found in Ethiopia in 1974.