A space mission that would return samples from asteroid 1999 RQ36, which is literally a 'time capsule' from before the birth of our solar system that could shed light on how life began, has been proposed by NASA.

Bill Cutlip of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, one of the leaders of Goddard's effort to propose a mission called OSIRIS-REx that will return a sample from RQ36, said," This asteroid is a time capsule from before the birth of our solar system."

Cutlip said," You can't underestimate the value of a pristine sample."

Cutlip explained that meteorites, pieces of asteroids that break away and plunge to Earth, are "toasted on their way through Earth's atmosphere."

Adding further he said," Once they land, they then soak up the microbes and chemicals from the environment around them."

Dr. Joseph Nuth of NASA Goddard, OSIRIS-REx Project Scientist, said," With a pristine sample, especially one from an asteroid type not available in NASA's meteorite collections, scientists will learn more about the time before the birth of our solar system, the initial stages of planet formation, and the source of organic compounds available for the origin of life."

Nuth further said," We'll orbit RQ36 for about a year to analyze its surface and select a sample site. This will give us experience with operating spacecraft in the vicinity of an asteroid, experience that will be useful if we ever have to send a mission to deflect one." (With Inputs from Agencies)