What OSIRIS-REx Learned From the Bennu Asteroid Sample

What did OSIRIS-REx learn from Bennu?

OSIRIS-REx gave scientists something they could not get from distant images alone: a sample of rock and dust collected from Bennu and brought back to Earth. The mission returned the material in 2023, after collecting it in 2020. ¹

The sample is expected to help researchers investigate how the solar system formed and developed, and the early stages of planet formation. It may also help scientists study the origins of organic compounds associated with the beginnings of life on Earth. These are research aims, not conclusions established in the material provided here. ¹³

The sources describe the mission as a major step in understanding asteroids and solar-system history, but they do not give specific results from analyses of the returned material. So the careful answer is that OSIRIS-REx brought back evidence for scientists to study; the supplied sources do not establish exactly what that evidence has shown so far. ¹

How did the spacecraft collect and return the sample?

The mission visited Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid, and collected a sample in October 2020. A capsule carrying the material returned to Earth in September 2023, landing in Utah. ¹

The returned material amounted to 4.3 ounces, according to the University of Arizona account. Most of it remains in careful storage at NASA facilities, while portions have been distributed for research. ¹

Keeping most of the sample in specialized facilities allows it to remain available for study. The source does not explain the facilities’ handling methods or name the researchers who received portions.

What made sampling Bennu difficult?

An asteroid is a small rocky body in space. Bennu is not a smooth, solid platform: the University of Arizona describes an incident in which the asteroid nearly swallowed the spacecraft. ¹

That phrase signals a practical lesson from the mission: reaching an asteroid and collecting material there can involve unexpected challenges. The source excerpt does not explain the incident in enough detail to describe exactly what happened or how the spacecraft responded, so it would be misleading to add a more specific account.

What is happening to the spacecraft now?

The sample-return portion of the mission concluded, but the spacecraft continued on. Renamed OSIRIS-APEX, it is on a follow-up mission to study the near-Earth asteroid Apophis. ¹³

The mission aims to observe Apophis during its close approach to Earth in 2029. The University of Arizona says this could provide data about how Earth’s gravity affects asteroids. ¹

This follow-up is separate from the Bennu sample work. It means the spacecraft’s journey continued, but the sources provided do not report results from the future Apophis observations.

What can we say about the sample’s findings so far?

The sources support a clear account of what the mission did and why scientists wanted the sample. They say it can help research the history of the solar system, planet formation, and organic compounds relevant to questions about life’s origins. ¹³

They do not provide a detailed list of discoveries made by analyzing Bennu material. Readers should therefore distinguish the sample’s scientific potential from findings that have been established and reported. For more information, NASA’s mission pages and its official sample-research updates are the appropriate places to check for current results.