Japanese scientists find water and organic matter on asteroid Itokawa



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Scientists have found water and organic matter on the surface of an asteroid sample collected from the solar system – the first time such material has been found on an asteroid.

The sample, which was only a single grain, was taken from the asteroid “ Itokawa ” by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (Jaxa) first Hayabusa mission in 2010.

It shows both water and organic matter that is not from an alien world, but from the asteroid itself. Researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London, suggest that the asteroid has evolved for billions of years, incorporating liquid and organic matter in the same way that Earth has.

The asteroid withstood extreme heat, dehydration, and bursting, but managed to reform and rehydrate using the material it picked up. The study also shows that S-type asteroids – which are the most common on Earth – can contain the raw components of life.

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Image: public domain

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