---
title: "Scientists Surprised by Abundance of Material in Asteroid Sample"
description: "Scientists have been poring over the samples collected by OSIRIS-REx, cracking open the canister to find an abundance of dark particles."
date: "2023-10-05"
modified: "2023-10-05"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-abundance-asteroid-sample"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "asteroid sample"
  - "bennu"
  - "NASA"
  - "osiris-rex"
  - "the digest"
---

# Scientists Surprised by Abundance of Material in Asteroid Sample

![Scientists have been poring over the samples collected by OSIRIS-REx, cracking open the canister to find an abundance of dark particles.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/scientists-abundance-asteroid-sample.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Special Delivery

Last month, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission [successfully dropped off](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-probe-asteroid-samples-bennu>) incredibly rare samples it collected from the asteroid Bennu, tens of millions of miles away, which could provide tantalizing glimpses into the earliest stages of our solar system.

The capsule safely landed in the Utah desert and was promptly delivered by air to a special curation facility at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Scientists soon [cracked open the canister](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-crack-lid-asteroid-sample>) to find an abundance of material — and that's not even counting the still-sealed chamber of the spacecraft's TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head, which holds most of the treasure.

In fact, there are so many "dark particles" coating the canister's interior that it's slowing down the curation process, according to a [NASA statement](<https://scitechdaily.com/osiris-rexs-overflowing-treasures-a-stellar-surprise-from-asteroid-bennu/>).

"There’s a lot of abundant material outside the TAGSAM head that’s interesting in its own right," said deputy OSIRIS-REx curation lead Christopher Snead of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the press release. "It’s really spectacular to have all that material there."

## Touch-and-Go

The spacecraft rendezvoused with the 1,600-foot asteroid back in 2020. It slowly approached Bennu with its TAGSAM stretched out in front of it, briefly making contact and sending dust and small rocks flying.

It took OSIRIS-REx years to finally make it back to the Earth's orbit. After successfully dropping off its loot, it's now on its way to a different asteroid called Apophis, a journey that will [take roughly 5.5 years](<https://www.space.com/osiris-rex-next-step-visit-asteroid-apophis>).

Scientists are now performing a preliminary analysis of initial samples taken from outside of the TAGSAM head, scanning them with an electron microscope, X-ray, and infrared instruments.

They're hoping to find out if the samples contain any organic-rich particles or hydrated minerals, which could offer us clues about Bennu's origins.

This "quick-look" analysis will set the stage for far more involved analyses of larger pieces of sample — and we can't wait to hear what they'll find.

*Updated to correct error regarding where the capsule landed.*

**More on the mission:** *[Scientists Crack Open Lid of Canister Holding Asteroid Sample](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-crack-lid-asteroid-sample>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)