Ryugu Asteroid Sample Reveals That It Has A Rich Complement Of Organic Molecules

By Keith Cowing

Press Release

February 23, 2023

Filed under aliphatic amines, amino acids, asteroid, carboxylic acids, Hayabusa2, JAXA, nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds, organic molecules, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, prebiotic, Ryugu 

 

This conceptual image illustrates the types of organic molecules found in the sample of asteroid Ryugu collected by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft. Organics are the building blocks of all known forms of terrestrial life and consist of a wide variety of compounds made of carbon combined with hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and other atoms. However, organic molecules can also be created by non-living processes, such as chemical reactions in asteroids. Credits: NASA/JAXA/Dan Gallagher

Asteroid Ryugu has a rich complement of organic molecules, according to a NASA and international team’s initial analysis of a sample from the asteroid’s surface delivered to Earth by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft. The discovery adds support to the idea that organic material from space contributed to the inventory of chemical components necessary for life.

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