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Sunday, September 20, 2026 · UTC
Missions & Exploration

Bennu surface 50 times weaker than ground coffee, sample analysis shows

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned 121.6 grams of regolith from asteroid Bennu in September 2023, and analysis reveals the surface is exceptionally weak.

Luisa Marconi
Senior Space Correspondent
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Weak asteroid surface revealed in lab analysis
Weak asteroid surface revealed in lab analysis AI illustrationhow this picture was made
The surface of asteroid Bennu is 50 times weaker than a cylinder of freshly ground coffee, which has a strength of about 50 Pa, according to Paul Sánchez, a senior research associate at the University of Colorado Boulder.[3] NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned 121.6 grams of regolith from asteroid (101955) Bennu to Earth in September 2023 for scientific analysis.[1] The mission objective was to deliver a pristine sample from the asteroid, defined as the absence of foreign materials that could affect sample measurements.[2] Analysis of the returned material revealed abundant angular and irregular particles ranging from submicron dust to rocks several centimeters across.[4]
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  1. NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned 121.6 grams of regolith from asteroid (101955) Bennu to Earth in September 2023 for scientific analysis. · Astrobiology
  2. The mission objective was to deliver a pristine sample from asteroid (101955) Bennu, defined as the absence of foreign materials that could affect sample measurements. · Astrobiology
  3. Paul Sánchez, a senior research associate at the University of Colorado Boulder, stated that the surface of asteroid Bennu is 50 times weaker than a cylinder of freshly ground coffee, which has a strength of about 50 Pa. · ZME Science
  4. NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned material from asteroid Bennu to Earth in 2023, which was analyzed to reveal abundant angular and irregular particles ranging from submicron dust to rocks several centimeters across. · ZME Science
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