A NASA capsule carrying the most important pattern ever collected from an asteroid has returned to Earth.

The capsule, which landed within the Utah desert at 3.52pm, contained round 250g of rocks and dirt collected from asteroid Bennu as a part of NASA's Osiris-Rex mission.

Experts say the carbon-rich, near-Earth asteroid serves as a time capsule from the earliest historical past of the photo voltaic system.

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It is anticipated the pattern will present vital clues that might assist us to know the origin of organics and water which will have led to life on Earth.

Because the pattern has been collected immediately from the asteroid, there shall be nearly zero contamination.

It glowed crimson sizzling because it hit the higher ambiance and plunged in direction of the Earth, with temperatures inside anticipated to peak at 2,800C.

Parachutes then deployed close to the very finish of its descent to soundly deliver the pattern to the bottom within the Utah desert.

It is now again on the NASA "clean room" for testing.

Reacting to the touchdown, Queen musician Brian May, who aided the mission by serving to to establish the place Osiris-Rex may seize a pattern from the asteroid, stated: "This box when it is opened of material from the surface of Bennu can tell us untold secrets of the origins of the universe, the origins of our planet and the origins of life itself.

"What an extremely thrilling day."

It is the US area company's first mission to gather a pattern from an asteroid and the primary by any company since 2020.

1 / 4 of the pattern shall be given to a gaggle of greater than 200 folks, from 38 globally distributed establishments, together with a workforce of scientists from the University of Manchester and the Natural History Museum.

Asteroid Bennu is a 4.5-billion-year-old remnant of the early photo voltaic system and is classed as a "near-Earth object" as a result of it passes comparatively near our planet each six years, although the chances of an affect are thought of distant.

In 2021, scientists with the Osiris-Rex workforce stated the asteroid may probably drift into Earth's orbit and hit the planet by September 2182, although there was a one in 2,700 (0.037%) likelihood that might occur.

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What is NASA's Osiris-Rex mission?

NASA launched the robotic spacecraft Osiris-Rex on 8 September 2016 and it arrived at asteroid Bennu in December 2018.

The celestial object is 500m (1,600ft) throughout - barely wider than the Empire State Building is tall.

After mapping Bennu for practically two years Osiris-Rex collected a pattern from the floor on 20 October 2020 earlier than starting its return to Earth on 10 May 2021.

Scientists imagine finding out the carbon-rich asteroid can assist make clear how planets shaped and advanced.

They say Bennu serves as a time capsule from the earliest historical past of the photo voltaic system.

The pattern is anticipated to offer vital clues that might assist our understanding of the origin of organics and water which will have led to life on Earth.

After depositing its pattern on Earth the Osiris-Rex spacecraft is predicted to sail on to discover one other near-Earth asteroid named Apophis.

Study 'essential for understanding formation of planets like Earth'

Ashley King, UKRI future leaders fellow, Natural History Museum, stated: "Osiris-Rex spent over two years studying asteroid Bennu, finding evidence for organics and minerals chemically altered by water.

"These are essential elements for understanding the formation of planets like Earth, so we're delighted to be among the many first researchers to review samples returned from Bennu.

"We think the Bennu samples might be similar in composition to the recent Winchcombe meteorite fall, but largely uncontaminated by the terrestrial environment and even more pristine."

Dr Sarah Crowther, analysis fellow within the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences on the University of Manchester, stated: "It is a real honour to be selected to be part of the Osiris-Rex sample analysis team, working with some of the best scientists around the world.

"We're excited to obtain samples within the coming weeks and months, and to start analysing them and see what secrets and techniques asteroid Bennu holds.

"A lot of our research focuses on meteorites and we can learn a lot about the history of the solar system from them.

"Meteorites get sizzling coming by Earth's ambiance and may sit on Earth for a few years earlier than they're discovered, so the native setting and climate can alter and even erase vital details about their composition and historical past.

"Sample return missions like Osiris-Rex are vitally important because the returned samples are pristine, we know exactly which asteroid they come from and can be certain that they are never exposed to the atmosphere so that important information is retained."