Asteroid samples fetched by JAXA may help solve mystery of solar system origins: Study

An asteroid, brought to Earth in 2020, may hold answers about the formation of our solar system, a new study has claimed. The study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia and France’s Paris-Saclay University says that samples of the asteroid, Ryugu, which were brought to the planet by the Japanese Space Exploration Agency (JAXA), are one of the darkest ever examined and contains some of the 'most primordial material' ever.

In December 2020, JAXA’s Hayabusa spacecraft landed on Earth carrying samples from the diamond shaped, half-mile diameter asteroid named Ryugu. Classified as a near-Earth asteroid, Ryugu measures about 3,000ft in diameter and lies between the orbit of Mars and our planet.

Found to be extremely porous, the scientists believe that this sample will help them determine the origin of our solar system from 4.5 billion years ago.

Characteristics of the asteroid sample

Following a deep analysis of the sample, researchers noted that the samples are among the darkest materials ever examined and reflect just 2% of light apart from being extremely porous. According to a Daily Mail report, two separate studies have been conducted around the rock samples, with the first one being from the University of Queensland. It was in their first study that experts found the light-absorbing ability of the asteroid dust and found pockets of empty space for water and gas to flow.

On the other hand, a second study, by the Paris-Saclay University, examined the chemical makeup of the samples by observing them in visible and infrared spectrums of light. Results from the second study revealed that the asteroid contains a variety of organic matter including clay apart from carbonates and volatile compounds. Cedric Pilorget, lead author of the second study was quoted by Daily Mail as saying:

Some of the material properties were close to those of the carbonaceous chondrites that we have in our collections, while some were clearly distinct.

In a previous interview with Live Science, Pilorget had said that despite being at the beginning of their investigations, they are sure that the samples are among the most primordial material available to them. And while the exact age of the asteroid is still uncertain, the scientists trace its origin to the early solar system and hope to confirm the same in their investigations further. 

(Image: @JAXA_en/Twitter)