Samples of Ryugu Asteroid , Contain Clues About, Our Solar System.
'Newsweek' reports that a new study has
revealed that ancient asteroid samples contain
clues about Earth and the early solar system.
The study presents the findings
from the 2019 Japanese Hayabusa2
mission by state space agency JAXA.
The spacecraft retrieved
5 grams of samples from
the asteroid Ryugu.
According to researchers at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth
Science and Technology, particles from the asteroid are "pristine"
and offer never before seen clues about the solar system.
Ryugu particles are the most
uncontaminated and unfractionated
extraterrestrial materials studied so far,
and provide the best available match
to the bulk Solar System composition, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science
and Technology study, via 'Newsweek'.
'Newsweek' reports that these untouched
particles could provide vital information
on how life was formed on Earth.
Volatile and organic-rich
C-type asteroids may have
been one of the main
sources of Earth's water, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science
and Technology study, via 'Newsweek'.
Our best insight into their chemistry
is currently provided by carbonaceous
chondritic meteorites, but
the meteorite record is biased: , Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science
and Technology study, via 'Newsweek'.
... only the strongest types
survive atmospheric entry and
are then modified by interaction
with the terrestrial environment, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science
and Technology study, via 'Newsweek'.
Details of the team's findings were
published in 'Nature Astronomy.'