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NASA's Bennu Mission: A Cosmic Treasure Trove · Elon Musk Podcast

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  Hi everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Elon Musk
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  Podcast. Today we have an absolutely
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  fascinating story that touches upon our unending quest to
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  understand the universe and our place in it.
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  It's about NASA's 7 year mission, Osiris Rex to the
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  asteroid Benu, and the bounty of scientific treasures.
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  It is brought back to our Earth now, the mission recently
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  concluded, revealing some unexpected finds that could
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  reshape our understanding of planetary sciences.
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  And it also opens up a world of possibilities for future space
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  exploration. Astronomers and scientists are
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  exhilarated over the initial results coming out of the Osiris
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  Rex mission. The spacecraft voyage to Bennu
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  culminated in September, when a capsule carrying rock samples
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  and space dust safely landed in the Utah desert.
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  The samples are already showing compelling findings, offering
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  hints to some of the biggest questions in science.
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  How did Earth become a water planet?
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  What are the resources available on rich asteroids like Bennu?
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  And what does this mean for the future of space missions now?
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  Interestingly, the Osiris Rex mission has uncovered a lot more
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  material than anticipated. Upon opening the external
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  container, scientists found samples that had actually leaked
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  out. This happy accident allowed for
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  a quick preliminary analysis which revealed some intriguing
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  discoveries. The asteroid bits included water
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  logged clay minerals that could explain Earth's water origins.
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  Asteroids similar to Bennu may have crashed into Earth long
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  ago, filling our oceans in making our planet habitable.
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  Now, in addition to this, scientists found sulfur and
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  magnetite in the samples. These elements are critical for
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  many geological transformations and may have played a central
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  role in the origin of life on Earth.
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  The asteroid is also rich in carbon, the key element in the
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  building blocks for life. So it appears that Osiris Rex
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  didn't just bring back rocks, it brought back a scientific
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  treasure trove that will keep researchers busy for years to
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  come. A great thing about the Bennu
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  mission is its multiple dimensions.
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  NASA and various corporations have their eyes set on asteroid
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  mining as a way to propel human exploration further into the
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  solar system. In understanding, Bennu will
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  help to identify what resources exist on similar asteroids.
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  More importantly, we'll also offer insights into how
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  challenging it would be to harvest and process these
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  resources for fuel and other uses.
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  There are high stakes involved in the economics and logistics
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  of space mining. For example, could we use the
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  carbon founded Bennu for constructing habitats or energy
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  generation in space? Could sulfur be used in some
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  chemical processes or power generation?
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  And if so, would this radically alter the cost dynamics of human
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  sediments on other planets or other moons?
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  And moreover, understanding that mechanical properties of
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  asteroids like Bennu could influence the design and
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  functionality of mining robots in the future?
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  The Osiris Rex mission provides invaluable data about the
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  composition, density, and structural integrity of
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  asteroidal material, which would be useful for future space
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  mining operations. What's also compelling is that
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  the Osiris Rex mission it doesn't just stand alone.
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  Japanese space missions have also returned samples from other
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  asteroids, although in smaller quantities.
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  Comparing samples from different missions could provide a fuller
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  picture of the variety and distribution of resources in the
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  asteroid belt, enabling a more comprehensive strategy for space
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  resource exploitation. Now the mission to Bennu isn't
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  only about understanding our origins or fueling the future
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  space voyages. It's also about planetary
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  defense now. Bennu falls under a small
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  category of asteroids with orbits that might intersect with
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  Earth's. According to scientific
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  calculations, there's a one in 2700 chance that Bennu could
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  collide with Earth by September 2182.
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  While not a planet killer like the one that eradicated the
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  dinosaurs, Bennu is large enough to destroy several cities or
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  generate massive tsunamis. Now understanding the nature and
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  trajectory of asteroids like Bennu helps to develop
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  strategies to alter the past of potential Earth impacting
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  objects. Scientists could use the
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  insights gleaned from the mission to devise methods of
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  changing an asteroids orbit, employing taxes such as kinetic
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  impactors or gravity tractors to the end.
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  Studying Bennu becomes a form of proactive defense.
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  By grasping the properties of this asteroid, humanity can
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  better prepare to deflect similar objects that may be on a
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  collision course with Earth in the future.
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  This kind of knowledge, combined with international cooperation,
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  could provide a shield against asteroidal threats, making the
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  planet a little safer for future generations.
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  And in the time when bad news seems to dominate the headlines
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  of Cyrus, sex mission offers a very positive narrative.
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  NASA has collaborated closely with space agencies in Japan and
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  Canada, along with scientists from dozens of countries around
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  the world. This is a testament to how
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  missions of cosmic curiosity can bring humanity together, uniting
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  us in a common quest for knowledge rather than pulling us
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  apart. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson
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  encapsulated the sentiment when he rhetorically asked why are we
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  doing this? His answer was pretty
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  straightforward, though, he said, because at NASA we're
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  trying to find out who we are, what we are, where we came from,
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  and what our place is in this vastness we call the universe.
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  And such collaborations extend beyond mere scientific
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  endeavors. They serve as proof the
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  international cooperation can produce outcomes that benefit
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  everybody involved. It fosters a sense of global
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  unity, revealing that when humans work together toward a
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  common objective, extraordinary things can be accomplished.
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  So what's next? The samples from Bennu will
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  continue to be analyzed for years, offering continuous
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  revelations about our solar system, Earth's origins, and the
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  possibility for space explorations in the future.
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  Your Cyrus Rex spacecraft itself is now headed toward another
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  asteroid, Apophis, adding another chapter to its already
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  extraordinary journey. And in the coming years, the
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  data from Osiris Rex will be coupled with other missions to
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  build a composite understanding of the solar system's resources,
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  threats, and mysteries. New missions might even extend
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  to other celestial bodies, exploring moons and planets with
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  the same zeal we've demonstrated for asteroids with ships like
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  Spacex's Starship. And the real beauty of this
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  mission and why it's so electrifying is that we're at
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  the very beginning of understanding what we found.
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  As we analyze the samples more, we'll be uncovering surprising
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  insights that could alter our understanding of the universe
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  and our place in it and how the Earth was actually formed.
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  Now, thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the
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  show. If you enjoyed this journey into
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  the wonders of space exploration and further universe, hit the
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  subscriber the follow button on the platform you're listening on
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  right now. Remember, each episode is about
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  10 minutes or less, so it's a quick and easy way to stay
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  informed. Please take care of yourselves
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  at each other and I'll see you in the next one.