In a groundbreaking achievement, NASA scientists have triumphantly opened the sample-return capsule from the OSIRIS-REx mission, revealing the first-ever chunks of a space rock collected by a NASA mission. The capsule, containing approximately 8.8 ounces (250 grams) of rocky material snatched from the potentially hazardous asteroid Bennu, was carefully disassembled at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The process, however, faced unexpected challenges as two out of the capsule’s 35 fasteners got stuck. To overcome this hurdle, NASA engineers ingeniously crafted two bespoke clamp-like tools from surgical steel to remove the clasps. This meticulous disassembly on January 11 allowed scientists to finally gain access to the much-anticipated contents of the capsule.

The OSIRIS-REx mission, which landed in the Utah desert on September 24, marked a historic moment as the spacecraft collected rocks from Bennu’s craggy surface. The mission scientists spent nearly two years searching for the perfect landing site before executing the touch-down to capture the sample using a burst of nitrogen from the Touch-and-Go Sample-Acquisition Mechanism.

Inside the sample capsule lie rocks believed to be around 4.5 billion years old, originating from the earliest years of our solar system. These specimens are expected to contain crucial information about the primordial elements that may have played a role in sparking life on Earth. Notably, some of these building blocks, such as uracil (a nucleobase for RNA), were previously discovered on the asteroid Ryugu by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft.

Scientists involved in the OSIRIS-REx mission are hopeful that the Bennu sample may yield further insights into biological precursors, adding to the growing body of knowledge about the formation of life in our solar system.

This unprecedented achievement showcases the dedication and ingenuity of NASA’s scientific community, highlighting the agency’s commitment to unraveling the mysteries of the cosmos. The unlocked treasures from Bennu are set to deepen our understanding of the early solar system and possibly shed light on the origins of life on Earth.