Quest (s01e19) - Comets and Asteroids

Quest (s01e19) - Comets and Asteroids: For millennia, comets have been interpreted by humankind as an omen or sign of events to come. Ancient texts and illustrations mark the passing of these lights with tales of lights streaking across the night sky. In more enlightened times, scientific explanations were given to these 'rocks in space'. Sophisticated probes have been sent to space to return a sample of Asteroid materials to Earth for analysis. Comets and asteroids have been viewed as mysterious and ominous signs by various cultures for thousands of years. In ancient China, Babylon, and Europe, comets were recorded meticulously, often linked to political or natural upheavals. This shift from superstition to science allowed humanity to study these objects systematically, gaining insights into the early solar system. In recent decades, space agencies have launched sophisticated missions to study comets and asteroids up close, dramatically advancing our knowledge. Sample return missions have been particularly groundbreaking, with Japan's Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions successfully collecting samples from asteroids Itokawa and Ryugu and NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission collecting samples from asteroid Bennu. These samples provide invaluable information about the composition of early solar system materials, the building blocks of planets, and the origins of organic compounds related to life. Comets and asteroids have evolved from being ominous signs to icy solar system bodies and rocky remnants from the solar system's formation. Modern space missions have revolutionized our understanding by visiting these objects and returning samples to Earth, deepening our knowledge of the solar system's history and potential risks and resources these bodies represent.