The findings suggest that asteroids like Bennu may have delivered the building blocks of life to Earth.
A pristine asteroid sample that could serve as a time capsule from the early days of our solar system has finally been revealed.
"The first analysis shows samples that contain abundant water in the form of hydrated clay minerals, and they contain carbon as both minerals and organic molecules," Nelson said. "Far exceeding our goal of 60 grams, this is the biggest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever return to Earth. The carbon and water molecules are exactly the kinds of material that we wanted to find. They're crucial elements in the formation of our own planet.
Since then, scientists have been hard at work studying the wealth of material - more than they expected - just inside the top of the canister to conduct an early analysis. The results of that analysis, and the first look at the sample, were shared during a live NASA broadcast from the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Wednesday. It's the largest asteroid sample returned to Earth.
The TAGSAM also had 24 surface contact pads that touched the asteroid and trapped fine-grained material.
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