NASA Asteroid Sample Reveals Shocking Origin

First, the initial examinations in October taught experts that Bennu’s sample contained rich carbon deposits—an essential element for life.

Then, progressive analyses uncovered even more astonishing nuances of the asteroid sample: the existence of magnesium-sodium phosphate, a compound capable of dissolving in water, vital to biochemistry. 

This led researchers to the exciting hypothesis that Bennu originally snapped off a primitive ocean world, one that no longer inhabits our solar system. In one fascinating detail, clay minerals essentially comprise the asteroid sample, especially serpentine.

This would render the space rock remarkably similar to rocks encountered on Earth, specifically at midocean ridges deep beneath the seas and where the mantle and water interact.