A pristine record of outer Solar System materials from asteroid Ryugu’s returned sample

Motoo Ito(Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology), Naotaka Tomioka(Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology), Masayuki Uesugi(SPring-8), Akira Yamaguchi(The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI), Naoki Shirai(Tokyo Metropolitan University), Takuji Ohigashi(The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI), Ming‐Chang Liu(Planetary Science Institute), R. C. Greenwood(The Open University), Makoto Kimura(National Institute of Polar Research), Naoya Imae(The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI), Kentaro Uesugi(SPring-8), Aiko Nakato(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Kasumi Yogata(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Hayato Yuzawa(Institute for Molecular Science), Yu Kodama(Japan Steel Works (Japan)), A. Tsuchiyama(Ritsumeikan University), Masahiro Yasutake(SPring-8), Ross Findlay(The Open University), I. A. Franchi(The Open University), J. Malley(The Open University), Kaitlyn A. McCain(Planetary Science Institute), Nozomi Matsuda(Planetary Science Institute), K. D. McKeegan(Planetary Science Institute), Kaori Hirahara(The University of Osaka), Akihisa Takeuchi(SPring-8), Shun Sekimoto(Kyoto University), Ikuya Sakurai(Nagoya University), Ikuo Okada(Nagoya University), Yuzuru Karouji(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Masahiko Arakawa(Kobe University), Atsushi Fujii(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), M. Fujimoto(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Masahiko Hayakawa(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Naoyuki Hirata(Kobe University), Naru Hirata(University of Aizu), Rie Honda(Kōchi University), Chikatoshi Honda(University of Aizu), S Hosoda(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Yuichi Iijima(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Hitoshi Ikeda(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Masateru Ishiguro(Seoul National University), Yoshiaki Ishihara(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Takahiro Iwata(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Kosuke Kawahara(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Shota Kikuchi(Chiba Institute of Technology), K. Kitazato(University of Aizu), Koji Matsumoto(National Astronomical Observatory of Japan), M. Matsuoka(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Tatsuhiro Michikami(Kindai University), Yuya Mimasu(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Akira Miura(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Osamu Mori(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Tomokatsu Morota(The University of Tokyo), Satoru Nakazawa(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Noriyuki Namiki(National Astronomical Observatory of Japan), Hirotomo Noda(National Astronomical Observatory of Japan), Rina Noguchi(Niigata University), Naoko Ogawa(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Kazunori Ogawa(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Tatsuaki Okada(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Chisato Okamoto, Go Ono(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Masanobu Ozaki(The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI), Takanao Saiki(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Naoya Sakatani(Rikkyo University), Hirotaka Sawada(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Hiroki Senshu(Chiba Institute of Technology), Yuri Shimaki(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), K. Shirai(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Seiji Sugita(The University of Tokyo), Yuto Takei(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Hiroshi Takeuchi(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Satoshi Tanaka(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Eri Tatsumi(Universidad de La Laguna), Fuyuto Terui(Kanagawa Institute of Technology), Ryudo Tsukizaki(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Koji Wada(Chiba Institute of Technology), Manabu Yamada(Chiba Institute of Technology), Tetsuya Yamada(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Yukio Yamamoto(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Hajime Yano(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Y. Yokota(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Keisuke Yoshihara(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Makoto Yoshikawa(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Kent Yoshikawa(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Ryota Fukai(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Shizuho Furuya(The University of Tokyo), Kentaro Hatakeda(Japan Steel Works (Japan)), Tasuku Hayashi(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Yuya Hitomi(Japan Steel Works (Japan)), Kazuya Kumagai(Japan Steel Works (Japan)), Akiko Miyazaki(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Masahiro Nishimura(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Hiromichi Soejima(Japan Steel Works (Japan)), Ayako Iwamae(Japan Steel Works (Japan)), Daiki Yamamoto(Tokyo Institute of Technology), Miwa Yoshitake(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Toru Yada(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Masanao Abe(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Tomohiro Usui(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), Sei‐ichiro Watanabe(Nagoya University), Yuichi Tsuda(The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI)
Nature Astronomy
August 15, 2022
10.1038/s41550-022-01745-5
Cited by 139Open Access
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Abstract

Abstract Volatile and organic-rich C-type asteroids may have been one of the main sources of Earth’s water. Our best insight into their chemistry is currently provided by carbonaceous chondritic meteorites, but the meteorite record is biased: only the strongest types survive atmospheric entry and are then modified by interaction with the terrestrial environment. Here we present the results of a detailed bulk and microanalytical study of pristine Ryugu particles, brought to Earth by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. Ryugu particles display a close compositional match with the chemically unfractionated, but aqueously altered, CI (Ivuna-type) chondrites, which are widely used as a proxy for the bulk Solar System composition. The sample shows an intricate spatial relationship between aliphatic-rich organics and phyllosilicates and indicates maximum temperatures of ~30 °C during aqueous alteration. We find that heavy hydrogen and nitrogen abundances are consistent with an outer Solar System origin. Ryugu particles are the most uncontaminated and unfractionated extraterrestrial materials studied so far, and provide the best available match to the bulk Solar System composition.

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