After months of perseverance, NASA scientists have successfully opened the canister containing material scraped from the asteroid Bennu, a potentially hazardous space rock. The canister, which was aboard the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, is believed to hold valuable clues about the early precursors of life in our solar system. This marks the first time that NASA has retrieved a chunk of a space rock with a mission.

The sample, weighing approximately 8.8 ounces (250 grams), consists of rocky space debris collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Earlier, NASA had already recovered 2.5 ounces (70 grams) from the canister's lid. However, progress was hindered as two fasteners became stuck, preventing access to the remaining material. NASA engineers persevered and created new tools to remove the clasps, successfully unsealing the container on January 10.

Eileen Stansbery, chief of NASA's ARES (Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science) division, expressed excitement about the achievements of the team, stating, "Our engineers and scientists have worked tirelessly behind the scenes...to move past this hurdle. We are all excited to see the remaining treasure OSIRIS-REx holds."

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft retrieved the canister on September 24 after a seven-year journey covering 4 billion miles. Traveling at speeds of up to 27,000 miles per hour (43,000 kilometers per hour), the spacecraft returned to Earth and successfully landed in the Utah desert. It was then transported to Johnson Space Center in Houston, where efforts to access the sample began.

The two stuck fasteners proved to be a challenge, requiring NASA to approve specialized tools for the delicate opening process to prevent contamination. The solution came in the form of clamp-like tools made from surgical steel, which were thoroughly tested to ensure the safe removal of the clasps.

With the canister now open, NASA plans to follow a few additional disassembly steps before photographing, extracting, weighing, and processing the remainder of the precious sample. Small pieces scraped from the lid have already been distributed worldwide for analysis, with further examination of the sample's contents soon to follow.

Bennu, the asteroid from which the sample was collected, poses a 1-in-2,700 chance of striking Earth in the year 2182, making it one of the highest-risk space objects known to scientists. However, researchers are more interested in studying the potential extraterrestrial precursors of life that may be trapped within this carbon-rich asteroid.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized the significance of the mission, stating, "Carbon and water molecules are exactly the elements we wanted to find. They're crucial elements in the formation of our own planet, and they're going to help us determine the origins of elements that could have led to life."

The search for the building blocks of life extends beyond Earth's water, which is believed to have been brought here by asteroids and comets. Bennu, classified as a B-type asteroid, contains high levels of carbon and potentially harbors the primordial molecules that contributed to the emergence of life on our planet.

Scientists involved in the OSIRIS-REx mission spent nearly two years carefully selecting a landing site on Bennu's rugged surface. Upon making contact, the spacecraft utilized its Touch-and-Go Sample-Acquisition Mechanism to secure its landing and prevent sinking through the asteroid. The resulting burst of nitrogen stirred up rocks and dust, with some of the debris landing in the canister aboard the spacecraft.

Following the successful sample collection, OSIRIS-REx conducted additional flyovers before departing the asteroid in May 2021. Now that the sample has made its journey back to Earth, scientists worldwide will commence their analysis to unveil insights into the origins of our solar system and the potential for extraterrestrial life.