Space Center Houston boasts rare sample of piece of asteroid Bennu
A pristine piece of asteroid Bennu is now on display at Space Center Houston.
The pea-sized rock, weighing 0.15 grams, was collected by a NASA spacecraft that traveled seven years and 3.9 billion miles (round trip) to learn about the early solar system and how life might have formed on Earth.
The OSIRIS-REX mission brought home 121.6 total grams of material from Bennu. Most of that is being reserved for scientists around the world, with a permanent home at NASA’S Johnson Space Center. There are only three places where the public can see a sliver of Bennu: Space Center Houston, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum at the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona, which led the NASA mission, is debuting its sample next week.
Space Center Houston is the official visitor’s center for the Johnson Space Center, and part of its mission is to share what NASA is working on next door. The work includes storing and studying material brought to Earth from the moon and deep space.
“Johnson Space Center trains the astronauts, but there’s so much other work that goes on over there,” said Paul Spana, Space Center Houston’s director of collections and a curator.
The Bennu sample has never been exposed to the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s sealed in a stainless steel container filled with nitrogen, which protects the rock from being altered by oxygen and humidity.
Visitors to Space Center Houston will see the container tucked inside a glass display. A magnifying glass helps provide a closer look at the rock inside, and NASA created a 3D image of the sample that is enlarged for a more detailed view.
A live presentation will be given three times a day to share the story of NASA’S OSIRISREX mission that visited the asteroid and to answer any questions.
“It’s got a really big story,” Spana said. “For me, the takeaway is that with proper planning and great teamwork, you can do these amazing things.”