The Strangest Substance NASA Ever Found on an Asteroid

This is an Astrum supercut about NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu. After studying the asteroid sample that was returned to Earth, scientists have made some shocking discoveries, including substances they’ve never seen in space before… What can Bennu teach us about how our solar system came to be, and even how life formed on Earth?

To those returning and new to the channel: This video is a supercut of our best content about OSIRIS-REx and Bennu, plus new and updated discoveries from the mission. We’ve edited this into a new seamless video, remastered in 4K resolution, and re-recorded the older voiceover to match the quality of the recent episodes.

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0:00 The OSIRIS-REx Mission
4:01 What is Bennu?
9:40 Landing Difficulties
14:27 Touchdown on Bennu
19:13 Return to Earth
23:24 Opening the sample
27:26 Pre-Solar grains
29:59 What They Found on Bennu
33:08 Bennu’s Past
37:00 Next Stop For OSIRIS-REx

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References:
“Asteroid Bennu overview”, via nasa.gov https://astrumspace.info/bennu
“OSIRIS-REx mission in depth”, via nasa.gov https://astrumspace.info/osirisrex
“Candidate Sample Sites on Bennu”, via asteroidmission.org https://astrumspace.info/bennusites
“Asteroid Bennu’s surface behaves like a plastic ball pit”, via nasa.gov https://astrumspace.info/bennusurface
“OSIRIS-REx spacecraft data and videos”, via asteroidmission.org https://astrumspace.info/osirisdata
“OSIRIS-REx sample canister lid finally unstuck”, via earthsky.org https://astrumspace.info/lidunstuck
“Supernova dust identified in asteroid Bennu samples”, via nature.com https://astrumspace.info/supernovadust
“Bio-essential sugars discovered in Bennu samples”, via nature.com https://astrumspace.info/bennusugars
“Sugars and gum-like compounds found in Bennu samples”, via nasa.gov https://astrumspace.info/bennugums
“OSIRIS-APEX mission overview”, via nasa.gov https://astrumspace.info/osirisapex

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Credits:
Writer: Jon McColgan
Video Editor: Nathália Huzian
Researcher: Shourya Shrivastava
Script Editor: Damaris McColgan
Thumbnail Designer: Peter Sheppard
Publishing Lead: Georgina Brenner
Production Manager: Raquel Taylor
Edit Producer: Poppy Pinnock
Head of Astrum: Jess Jordan
Creator of Astrum: Alex McColgan

With special thanks to:
NASA/ESO/ESA

#Astrum #Space #Bennu #OSIRIS-REx