Fragments from what NASA has dubbed the most dangerous asteroid in the Solar System have made their way to the UK for an in-depth study.
These minuscule pieces, originating from the asteroid Bennu, will undergo rigorous testing at multiple institutions, including the Natural History Museum (NHM), as well as the universities of Open, Manchester, and Oxford.
Although the donation may seem modest, NHM’s Prof Sara Russell emphasized its significance, describing it as “one hundred milligrams of beautiful” during an interview with BBC News. The sample was meticulously scooped up from the surface of the 500m-wide asteroid Bennu in 2020 by NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft. Subsequently, it was delivered to the Utah desert via a capsule just two months ago.
NASA’s interest in Bennu extends beyond its classification as a hazardous celestial body. The asteroid carries a slim but non-negligible chance of colliding with Earth within the next 300 years. Beyond this risk assessment, scientists are eager to unlock the secrets held within the Bennu sample, anticipating that it will provide invaluable insights into the formation of the Solar System approximately 4.6 billion years ago.
The key to extracting this new knowledge lies in the chemistry of the Bennu material, which has remarkably remained largely unchanged over time. As researchers embark on a battery of tests at various institutions, they aim not only to understand the potential threat posed by Bennu but also to unravel the mysteries of our Solar System’s origins hidden within this precious sample.
