The story about : An asteroid mission shed light on life origin - and extinctions?

*Asteroids are thought to have played a major role in the origin and extinction of life on Earth. They may have delivered the organic molecules that were necessary for life to arise, and they may have also caused mass extinctions by impacting the planet.

An asteroid mission could shed light on these processes by returning samples of asteroids to Earth for study. These samples could be analyzed for organic molecules, as well as for other clues about the composition and history of asteroids.

One such mission is the OSIRIS-REx mission, which launched in 2016 and arrived at the asteroid Bennu in 2018. OSIRIS-REx collected samples from Bennu in 2020 and is scheduled to return to Earth in 2023.

The samples from OSIRIS-REx could provide valuable insights into the origin and evolution of asteroids, as well as the role they may have played in the origin and extinction of life on Earth.

For example, the samples could be analyzed for organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleic acids. These molecules are the building blocks of life, and their presence in asteroid samples would provide strong evidence that asteroids could have delivered the ingredients for life to Earth.

The samples could also be analyzed for other clues about the composition and history of asteroids, such as their age, their mineralogy, and their isotopic composition. This information could help scientists to better understand how asteroids formed and evolved, and how they may have interacted with Earth and other planets in the solar system.

Overall, an asteroid mission could provide valuable insights into the origin and evolution of asteroids, as well as the role they may have played in the origin and extinction of life on Earth.

* Where is asteroid Bennu right now?

Asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) is currently in the constellation of Gemini. The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) is 07h 43m 02s and the Declination is +26° 27' 43” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt).

Source: Economist/Bard