Why collect asteroid samples? 4 essential reads on what these tiny bits of space rock can tell scientists
China Tianwin -2 sample sample sample He is Appointment to launch This month, May 2025, on his way to Asteroid Kamoʻoalewa (2016 ho3). The country can join the United States and Japan, which space agencies have succeeded in restoring a sample of an asteroid to study on Earth.
Several space missions have The asteroids flew before She got a peek on their books, but returning a sample to Earth is more beneficial to scientists. The most useful analyzes require The presence of material samples To the bitch and prod, light shine in, running through CT scanners and examining them under electronic microscopy.
These tasks require a detailed planning and specialized spacecraft, so to shed light on the reason for the agencies of this problem, we have collected four stories from our archive of the conversation. These articles describe the ways to return the asteroid sample that generate new scientific visions at each stage – from the assembly process, to the return of the container to the ground, to laboratory analyzes.
1.
the Rayojo asteroid Made of carbon rocks. Japan targeted her Ryugu Hayabusa2 important sample In 2020.
As the world of the planets Paul K. Perne From the University of Washington in Saint Lewis Described in his articleHayabusa2 team shot the asteroid with a metal shell and collected dusty debris in space. This process allowed the Hayabusa2 craft to collect a sample to bring the house and also look closely on the asteroid.
One thing noticed by the assembly teamThe material that flew from the asteroid was more red than the surface they called, and which had a large smear.
Some Ryugu parts are almost striped – medieval lines are more red, while columns look more blue. The gathering of samples gave researchers some hints about the reason for this.
“At some point, the asteroid must be closer to the sun that is now,” Bern wrote. “This would explain the amount of surface criticism.”
Read more: Unveiling of the asteroid Ryugu secrets from its surface and the orbit change
2. Return capsules make shock waves
Like how the researchers only acquired valuable data from the Hayabusa2 collection process, the atmosphere scientists did not need to open the Osiris-Rex capsule to learn something new.
NASA Osiris-Rix The mission traveled to Carbon -rich asteroid Banu She sent a small capsule to the house in September 2023.
A sample of Osiris-Rex, which was launched from Osiris-Rex, was released to the ground in a heavy box around the size of the microwave. Regardless of the fact that it was It was launched from a spacecraft About 63,000 miles (102,000 km), the return looked remarkably similar Meteorite.
Scientists often do not have a prior notice required to study how Real meteorite – The term granted to meteorites before they hit the ground – he behaves when they enter the atmosphere, so they jumped on the chance to study the capsule while returning to the ground.
Kfizia Brian Elbing From Oklahoma State University and Elizabeth a From Sandia National Laborators Discuss their articleOsiris-Rex was the ideal opportunity to study what is happening in the air when things fly the size of the meteorite.
The teams have prepared networks of sensitive microphones and other tools – whether on the ground or connected to the balloons – to record the frequencies of the sound wave created in the atmosphere. Understanding how the waves go through the air, can help scientists discover How to discover risks Like natural disasters.
3. Life girls on Bennu
Once the Osiris-ReX capsule returned safely on the ground, researchers around the world-including geological Timothy J. Mek From the Smithsonian Foundation and the world of planets Sarah Russell From the UK Natural History Museum – he obtained tests on its contents, while dealing with the sample carefully to avoid pollution.
As they are Described in their articleMCCOY and Russell found that the sample was often a mud rich in water, who expected it from a carbon -rich asteroid. But they also found an amazing amount of salty and salty minerals. These minerals are formed when the water evaporates from the surface of the rock.
Because these minerals – appropriately It is called evaporation – It melts when they come into contact with moisture, scientists have never seen the meteorites that fly across the atmosphere of the earth, and even those that have similar books to Bennu. The spacecraft sample container maintained a sealing tight, so these evaporations remained intact.
These results indicate that the asteroid used to be moist and muddy. A salty environment rich in water like Bennu was a great place for a great environment Organic molecules to form. Some scientists expect that the Earth got its lifelong components from a collision with an asteroid like Bennu.
4. We look forward to the asteroid mining
The sample sample asteroids generate many scientific ideas. They can also help space agencies and companies understand exactly what exists, which is available to bring the homeland from asteroids. While carbon -rich asteroids such as Bennu and Ryugu do not flow with precious metals, Other asteroids You have more valuable contents.
It was launched in 2023 and is currently traveling across space, NASA’s psychological mission You will explore the metal asteroid. The psychological asteroid is likely to have platinum, nickel, iron, and perhaps gold – all materials of commercial attention.
Scientists can learn about the composition and composition of the Earth’s heart from mineral asteroids like Psyche, which is the main goal of the task. But as The world of the planets Valerie Bayry From Iowa University She wrote in her article“The mission of the soul is a big step in knowing the type of minerals there.”
At the present time, commercial asteroid mining operations are science fiction – not to mention this Legally. But some companies have started thinking about the early stage plans of how they do so. The asteroid sample tasks can lay some early foundation.
Read more: NASA theorists help scientists to understand what the Najwa is
This story is a set of articles of the chat archives.
