Scientists have obtained their initial glimpse of a sample collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, and in the process, they stumbled upon more than they had anticipated.

Upon opening the canister containing the sample on September 26, researchers were surprised to find an abundance of dark, fine-grained material adhering to the inside of the container’s lid and the base around the mechanism used to gather extraterrestrial rocks and soil.

This unexpected debris could provide valuable insights into the asteroid before the primary sample is subjected to analysis, CNN reported.

The historic landing of the sample in the Utah desert on September 24 marked the culmination of NASA’s 7-year OSIRIS-Rex mission.

This mission involved traveling to Bennu, which is located approximately 200 million miles (320 million kilometers) from Earth.

The spacecraft touched down on the asteroid and subsequently returned to Earth to release the sample, covering a total trip distance of roughly 3.86 billion miles.

Following the sample’s arrival, the mission team promptly transported the canister to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where a dedicated clean room has been set up for the meticulous examination of this cosmic sample.

Written by staff