It could shed light on the origins of life—and how to protect it
. The probe will drop its cargo off en route to another asteroid, Apophis, at which it is due to arrive in 2029.. The solar system was formed around 4.5bn years ago, when a cloud of dust and gas collapsed under its own gravity into a disc, which in turn agglomerated into the sun and its planets. Asteroids are leftover chunks that never accrued enough mass to become planets. Studying them thus offers a window into the ancient astronomical past.
Researchers are interested in Bennu in particular for two reasons. One is that it appears to be rich in carbon, the element whose complicated chemistry underlies all life on Earth. When scientists analysed Ryugu, the carbon-rich asteroid explored by, they found a smorgasbord of organic compounds , including several different amino acids, the chemical building blocks of proteins. ExaminingBennu also contains traces of another vital ingredient of life: water.
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