Did Earth’s water come from asteroid? Here’s what Japan’s space mission has found
Did Earth’s water come from asteroid? Here’s what Japan’s space mission has found
The mystery of how life originated on Earth remains unresolved despite several space discoveries and puzzles being solved. According to a recent study, asteroids from the solar system’s periphery may have carried water to Earth.
The samples that were gathered during a six-year Japanese space mission were evaluated by the researchers for the study. In 2020, samples from the asteroid Ryugu were returned to Earth. The Japanese Hayabusa-2 spacecraft collected 5.4 grammes (0.2 ounces) of rock and dust.
As the researchers’ analyses using the samples have begun to be published, one group claimed to have discovered organic material that demonstrated that some of the amino acids, which serve as the basis for life on Earth, may have originated in space.
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According to an article that appeared in Nature Astronomy, the Ryugu samples may hold the key to solving the puzzle of how seas first evolved on Earth billions of years ago.
The study, conducted by Japan’s and other nations’ researchers, was published on Monday. It suggests that volatile and organic-rich C-type asteroids may have been one of the main suppliers of Earth’s water. It stated that there is still considerable disagreement regarding the delivery of volatiles (that is, organics and water) to the Earth.
However, in Ryugu particles, detected in this study, the organic components likely comprise one key source of volatiles.
According to the scientists, this material most likely originated in the outer solar system, although it was “unlikely to be the sole source of volatiles delivered to the early Earth.”
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Continuing research on these unique samples will likely increase our knowledge of early solar system processes, the authors added. Ryugu particles are definitely among the most pure solar system materials available for scientific analysis.
Hayabusa-2 was launched in 2014 on a mission to Ryugu, which is around 300 million kilometres away. Hayabusa-2 made a return visit to Earth’s orbit two years ago to hand over a capsule carrying the sample.