Free Astronomy Magazine November-December 2023

7 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2023 ASTRO PUBLISHING preserved within the dust and rocks of asteroid Bennu, we are unlocking a time capsule that offers us profound insights into the ori- gins of our solar sys- tem,” said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investiga- tor, University of Arizona, Tucson. “The bounty of car- bon-rich material and the abundant presence of water- bearing clay miner- als are just the tip of the cosmic ice- berg. These discov- eries, made possible through years of dedicated collabora- tion and cutting- edge science, propel us on a journey to understand not only our celestial neighborhood but also the poten- M agnification of a tiny grain from the sample. The small bright specks in the image on the right (under UV light) reveal the presence of organic com- pounds. [NASA] D ante Lauretta (center), OSIRIS-REx principal investigator and UArizona Regents Professor of Planetary Sciences, speaks during a press conference announcing the first discoveries from the Bennu asteroid sample at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Other panelists, from left, are Lori Glaze, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Planetary Science Division director; OSIRIS-REx sample analysis lead Daniel Glavin; OSIRIS-REx deputy curation lead Francis McCubbin; and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. [Chris Richards/University of Arizona] tial for life’s beginnings. With each revelation from Bennu, we draw closer to unraveling the mysteries of our cosmic heritage.” For the next two years, the mission’s science team will continue charac- terizing the samples and conduct the analysis needed to meet the mis- sion’s science goals. NASA will pre- serve at least 70% of the sample at Johnson for further research by sci- entists worldwide, including future generations of scientists. As part of OSIRIS-REx’s science program, a co- hort of more than 200 scientists around the world will explore the regolith’s properties, including re- searchers from many U.S. institu- tions, NASA partners JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and other scientists from around the world. Additional samples will also be loaned later this fall to the Smith- sonian Institution, Space Center Houston, and the University of Ari- zona for public display. !