What does this mean?
Since both the boulders are weaker than expected, neither would survive the journey through Earth’s atmosphere.
“It’s therefore likely that the returned samples of asteroid Bennu will provide a missing link for scientists, as this type of material is not currently represented in meteorite collections,” NASA said in a statement.
Data obtained by the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) also shows that the northern and southern hemispheres have different shapes.
The southern hemisphere appears to be smoother and rounder, which the scientists believe is a result of loose material getting trapped by the region’s numerous large boulders.