I-asteroid Bennu yi-asteroid yakudala ye-carbonaceous enamatye kunye nothuli ukususela ekuzalweni kwenkqubo yelanga. Kwakucingelwa ukuba uphononongo lwesampulu evela kwi-asteroid Bennu eqokelelwe ngokuthe ngqo emajukujukwini yayiza kukhanyisa indlela iiplanethi ezakhiwe ngayo kunye nendlela ubomi obaqala ngayo eMhlabeni. I-OSIRIS-REx, i-NASA yokuqala ye-asteroid yokubuyisela isampula ye-asteroid yasungulwa ngo-2016 ukuya kufuphi ne-Earth asteroid Bennu. Ihambise isampuli ye-capsule emhlabeni ngomhla we-24 Septemba 2023. Uphononongo olunzulu lwesampula ebuyisiweyo ngoku lugqityiwe, kwaye iziphumo zapapashwa ngomhla we-29 kaJanuwari 2025. Isampuli ebuyisiweyo inomlinganiselo omkhulu we-ammonia kunye ne-nitrogen-rich-soluble. izinto eziphilayo ezingundoqo kubomi eMhlabeni. Iikhompawundi eziphambili zezinto eziphilayo ezifunyenwe kwisampulu zi-amino acids (kubandakanywa i-14 ye-20 efumaneka kwiinkqubo eziphilayo emhlabeni), i-amines, i-formaldehyde, i-carboxylic acids, i-polycyclic enuka i-hydrocarbons kunye ne-N-heterocycles (kubandakanywa zonke ezintlanu ze-nucleobases ezifumaneka kwi-DNA kunye ne-RNA. emhlabeni). Ngaphaya koko, isampulu ikwanazo neeminerali zetyuwa ezenziwe ngenxa yokumka kwebrine eyayikho kwangoko kumzimba womzali we-asteroid Bennu, ecebisa ukuba amanzi anetyuwa kwimbali yokuqala ayenokusebenza njengendawo yokusebenzelana kwemichiza phakathi kweeathom ezifunyenwe kwisampulu. Ukufunyanwa kweebhloko zokwakha ubomi kunye neeminerali zetyuwa kwisampulu ecocekileyo eqokelelwe emajukujukwini ngokuthe ngqo kwi-asteroid Bennu kwaye ifundwe phantsi kwamanyathelo olawulo lokungcoliseka inika intembeko kwingcamango yokuba izandulela zokuvela kobomi zazixhaphakile kwinkqubo yokuqala yelanga. Ngoko ke, kukho ithuba lokuba ubomi buvele kwezinye iiplanethi okanye iisathelayithi zazo zendalo. Iimeko kwi-asteroid Bennu ikwangummeli wembali yokuqala yomhlaba. Inika ingcamango malunga nezithako ezikhoyo kwinkqubo yelanga ngaphambi kokuvela kobomi eMhlabeni.
I-Asteroid Bennu yindawo ekufutshane ne-Earth orbit asteroid ekucingelwa ukuba yenze malunga ne-4.5 yezigidigidi kwiminyaka eyadlulayo kwisigaba sokuqala sembali yesixokelelwano selanga. Luhlobo lwe-B, i-carbonaceous asteroid enamatye kunye nothuli ukususela ekuzalweni kwenkqubo yelanga. Kwakucingelwa ukuba uBennu unokuba nezinto ezineemolekyuli ezazikho xa ubomi babubunjwa eMhlabeni. Ii-asteroids ezityebileyo kwizinto eziphilayo kucingelwa ukuba zinendima ekudaleni ubomi eMhlabeni. Uphononongo lwesampulu eziswe kwi-asteroid Bennu bekulindeleke ukuba lukhanyise indlela iiplanethi zenziwa ngayo kunye nendlela ubomi obaqala ngayo. I-NASA ye-OSIRIS-REx mission ejoliswe kule nto.
I-asteroid isampula yokubuyisela i-mission OSIRIS-REx (Iimvelaphi, i-Spectral Interpretation, i-Resource Identification kunye noKhuseleko - i-Regolith Explorer) yasungulwa kufuphi ne-Earth asteroid Bennu ngomhla we-8 Septemba 2016. Iqokelele isampuli yamatye kunye nothuli oluvela kumphezulu we-asteroid. nge-20 ka-Okthobha 2020 kwaye yaqala uhambo lwayo lokubuyela eMhlabeni nge-10 kaMeyi 2021. Ukuhamba iminyaka emibini enesiqingatha uhambo lwayo lokubuya, ngomhla wama-24 kuSeptemba 2023, yakhupha i-capsule equlethe amatye kunye nesampulu yothuli eqokelelwe kwi-asteroid Bennu kwi-atmosfera yoMhlaba kwaye iqhubekile nohambo lwayo oluya kwelinye kufuphi ne-Earth asteroid Apophis njenge-OSIRIS-APEX mission.
I-capsule equlethe isampuli yamatye kunye nothuli olunobunzima malunga ne-250 grams eqokelelwe kwi-asteroid Bennu yafika ngokukhuselekileyo eMhlabeni kwindawo yase-Utah kufuphi neSixeko saseSalt Lake e-USA kwangolo suku ngeCawa 24 Septemba 2023. Isampuli ebuyisiweyo ngoku ifundwe nzulu , kwaye iziphumo zipapashwe nge-29 kaJanuwari 2025.
Uhlalutyo lwesampulu ebuyisiweyo lelinye iqela lophando lubonakalise ubukho besixa esikhulu se-ammonia kunye ne-nitrogen-rich-rich-rich soluble organic matters ezingundoqo kubomi eMhlabeni. Iikhompawundi eziphilayo ezifunyenwe kwisampulu zii-amino acids (kubandakanywa i-14 ye-20 efumaneka kwiinkqubo eziphilayo emhlabeni), ii-amines, i-formaldehyde, i-carboxylic acids, i-polycyclic enuka i-hydrocarbons kunye ne-N-heterocycles (kubandakanywa zonke ezintlanu ze-nucleobases ezifumaneka kwi-DNA kunye ne-RNA Umhlaba osetyenziselwa ukugcina nokudlulisa ulwazi lwemfuzo kwinzala). Ubuninzi be-ammonia kwisampuli bubalulekile kuba i-ammonia inokusabela nge-formaldehyde ukwenza i-amino acids kwiimeko ezifanelekileyo. Okubangela umdla kukuba, ii-amino acids ezine-chirality kwisampulu evela e-Bennu ziyi-racemic okanye umxube olinganayo wazo zombini iinguqulelo zasekhohlo nasekunene. EMhlabeni, iinkqubo eziphilayo zinenguqulelo yasekhohlo. Mhlawumbi, ii-amino acids kumhlaba wokuqala yayiyingxubevange yobuhlanga kunye nesandla sasekhohlo sobomi bobomi eMhlabeni savela kamva ngenxa yesizathu esingaziwayo.
Ukongezelela, elinye iqela lophando lifumene iiminerali zetyuwa kwisampulu equka i-sodium-bearing phosphates kunye ne-sodium-rich carbonates, i-sulphates, i-chlorides kunye ne-fluorides. Ezi tyuwa zenziwe ngenxa yokuba ngumphunga we-brine eyayikho kwangoko kumzimba womzali we-asteroid Bennu. Amanzi anetyuwa kwimbali yokuqala ayenokuthi asebenze njengendawo efanelekileyo yokusebenzisana kweekhemikhali phakathi kweemolekyuli ezifunyenwe kwisampulu.
Imiba yendalo kunye neetyuwa zeminerali ziye zabhaqwa ngaphambili kwi-meteorites, kodwa ukutyhileka kwiatmosfera yoMhlaba kwenza kube nzima ukutolika njengoko zitshatyalaliswa ngokulula okanye zitshintshwa xa zingena kwimo engqongileyo yoMhlaba.
Ukufunyanwa kweebhloko zokwakha ubomi kunye nomphunga (iiminerali zetyuwa ezenziwe emva kokuguquka kwebrine) kwisampulu ecocekileyo eqokelelwe emajukujukwini ngokuthe ngqo kwi-asteroid Bennu kwaye ifundwe phantsi kwamanyathelo olawulo longcoliseko yinoveli. Oku kunika intembeko kwingcamango yokuba izandulela zokuvela kobomi zazixhaphakile kwinkqubo yokuqala yelanga. Ngoko ke, kukho ithuba lokuba ubomi buvele kwezinye iiplanethi okanye iisathelayithi zazo zendalo. Iimeko kwi-asteroid Bennu ikwangummeli wembali yokuqala yomhlaba. Inika ingcamango malunga nezithako ezikhoyo kwinkqubo yelanga ngaphambi kokuvela kobomi eMhlabeni.
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Iingxelo:
- Glavin, DP, et al. 2025. I-ammonia eninzi kunye ne-nitrogen-rich-rich soluble organic matter kwiisampuli ezivela kwi-asteroid (101955) iBennu. Nat Astron. Ipapashwe: 29 January 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02472-9
- McCoy, TJ, et al. 2025. Ulandelelwano lwe-evaporite oluvela kwi-brine yakudala erekhodiweyo kwiisampuli ze-Bennu. Indalo 637, 1072-1077. Ipapashwe: 29 January 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08495-6
- NASA. Iindaba – Isampulu ye-Asteroid Bennu yeNASA ityhila umxube weZithako zoBomi. Ithunyelwe nge-29 kaJanuwari 2025. Iyafumaneka e https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-asteroid-bennu-sample-reveals-mix-of-lifes-ingredients/
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Inqaku elidibeneyo:
- I-NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission izisa isampuli ukusuka kwi-asteroid Bennu ukuya eMhlabeni (I-26 kaSeptemba 2023).
- UKhuselo lwePlanethi: Impembelelo ye-DART itshintshe zombini i-Orbit kunye neMilo ye-asteroid (20 Matshi 2024)
- kufuphi-Earth asteroid 2024 BJ ukwenza eyona ndlela ikufutshane kuMhlaba (26 Januwari 2024)
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