In late September, 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission（任务）delivered bits of rock and dust collected from a distant asteroid（小行星）to Earth. The sample, from the asteroid named Bennu, is the first of its kind brought to the United States. Now, the public can see the asteroid's rocky debris（碎片）on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History a few days ago.
Scientists think the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid is composed of some of the solar system's oldest materials, formed in dying stars before the planets existed. Examining this ancient matter could hold clues about how organic materials first arrived on Earth, so NASA launched the OSIRIS-REx mission in 2016 to collect samples from Bennu's surface. The spacecraft arrived at the asteroid in 2018, surveyed the rock for an ideal collection site and ultimately took a sample back to Earth in 2020. Recently, an initial examination of the sample revealed evidence of a high carbon content and water on Bennu.
When the team was unpacking their sample, they found that "bonus" material from the asteroid covered the collector. The presence（存在）of this extra matter delayed NASA's processing of the sample. "The very best 'problem' to have is that there is so much material that it's taking longer than we expected to collect it," said Christopher Snead, the OSIRIS-REx deputy sample curator. Next, more of the material from Bennu will go on display at the museum. In the next two years, scientists will continue analyzing the sample and will save at least 70 percent of the Bennu rocks for further research.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson believes that studying Bennu samples will advance our understanding of the solar system for generations. It promises to shed light on(弄明白)what makes our planet unique. By studying this 4.5-billion-year-old sample and sharing it with the public, NASA aims to inspire future scientists and encourage them to explore new fields.