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The solar system has many secrets that scientists are still trying to unravel. To unravel these mysteries, researchers are looking at all kinds of space rocks that may hold clues to the lost stories of our solar system’s past. This approach is already bearing fruit. In October 2023, NASA’s osiris rex mission discover water and carbon — two precursors to life on Earth — are located on the 4.5 billion-year-old asteroid Bennu.
Among the thousands of asteroids clustered near Earth’s orbit, minimoons (small space bodies whose orbits are partly dominated by Earth and partly by other solar system bodies) are used to learn about the origins of our solar system. could be a leading candidate, he said. Richard Binzelprofessor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
”[Minimoons] You’ve probably experienced what it’s like to be a pinball in the interior of our solar system, bouncing off and being pulled around by different planets. ” Binzel told Live Science. “They ended up finding themselves caught in a somewhat circular orbit near Earth.”
Related: An undiscovered “mini-moon” may be orbiting Earth. Could they help us become an interplanetary species?
The minimoon’s relative proximity to Earth means that it would take much less time and fuel to go there and collect samples than it would take to go to Earth. Asteroids like Bennu. Scientists are still not sure where minimoons came from, but a leading theory suggests they originated in the major asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Near-Earth asteroids from this region, such as Bennu and the minimoons, are “like time capsules.” paul abel, NASA’s lead scientist for small body exploration told Live Science. “They show us what the early solar system was like. [and] What were the conditions? ”
For example, in 2019, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) took samples from Ryugu, a diamond-shaped asteroid more than 200 million miles (322 million kilometers) from Earth. Subsequent analysis It has been revealed that space rocks contain stardust from before our solar system.prebiotic organic”, contains several amino acids that living things use to build proteins that form things like hair and muscles.
Collecting samples from minimoons could help alleviate some of the big problems in current asteroid research. Most often, scientists study chunks of asteroids that fell to Earth in the form of meteorites. These can still tell us about the solar system’s early composition, but depending on the conditions in which they were discovered, they could be difficult to analyze, Abel said.
“When a meteorite hits Earth, it is already contaminated by moisture and gases in the Earth’s atmosphere,” he said. “When we’re talking about organic molecules and water (more volatile substances), it’s very important to go to the source and figure out what’s there. That’s why we We would like to carry out a sample return mission.” osiris rex. ”
osiris rex spaceship Bennu samples were dropped on Earth in September., completed NASA’s first successful mission to collect samples from a distant asteroid.The rocket is currently on its next mission to explore an asteroid Apophis And the space rock is expected to arrive in 2029, when it will pass within 19,800 miles (31,865 km) of Earth.
NASA will continue to study the rocks and dust inside Bennu for the next 10 years. “The abundance of carbon-rich materials and the abundance of water-containing clay minerals are just the tip of the cosmic iceberg.” Dante Laurettasaid the OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at a press conference. October press conference.
For now, the success of the Osiris-Rex mission is providing inspiration for scientists planning the next stage of near-Earth exploration, with experts saying the next easy destination could be a minimoon. the house says.
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