'Ryugu is a very pristine asteroid that represents the beginnings of our solar system'.
JAXA chose the Ryugu asteroid as a target because its high carbon content promised to reveal a great deal about the origin of life in our solar system. The new analysis confirms that the asteroid was originally part of a parent asteroid formed in the outer solar nebula.The researchers found an accumulation of magnetite, an iron oxide mineral, as well as hydroxyapatite, a phosphate mineral, in one of the grains of the asteroid. These were formed in a fine vein-like structure.
In the parts of the samples containing hydroxyapatite, the scientists also discovered the presence of rare earth metals. “The rare earths occur in the hydroxyapatite of the asteroid in concentrations 100 times higher than elsewhere in the solar system,” Brenker explained, adding that the rare earth metals accumulated in the phosphate mineral in equal amounts. “This equal distribution of rare earths is a further indication that Ryugu is a very pristine asteroid that represents the beginnings of our solar system," he continued.
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