The first U.S. asteroid sample, delivered by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to Earth on Sept. 24, has arrived at its permanent home at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it […]
Comets and Asteroids
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release
The OSIRIS-REx Samples From Bennu Have Landed On Earth
After years of anticipation and hard work by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer) team, a capsule of rocks and dust collected from asteroid […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Impact events, Status Report
A Race Against The Clock: Constraining The Timing Of Cometary Bombardment Relative To Earth’s Growth
Comets are considered a potential source of inner solar system volatiles, but the timing of this delivery relative to that of Earth’s accretion is still poorly understood.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release
NASA Completes Last OSIRIS-REx Test Before Asteroid Sample Delivery
A team led by NASA in Utah’s West Desert is in the final stages of preparing for the arrival of the first U.S. asteroid sample – slated to land on […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report
OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis Plan — Revision 3.0
The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft arrived at its target, near-Earth asteroid 101955 Bennu, in December 2018. After one year of operating in proximity, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Status Report
Laboratory Experiments To Understand Comets
In order to understand the origin and evolution of comets, one must decipher the processes that formed and processed cometary ice and dust. Cometary materials have diverse physical and chemical […]
Posted inComets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy of Comet Material in Aerogel
We report non-destructive 3-dimensional imaging and analysis techniques for material returned by the Stardust cometary collector.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
Oxygen-bearing Organic Molecules In Comet 67P’s Dusty Coma: First Evidence For Abundant Heterocycles
The puzzling complexity of terrestrial biomolecules is driving the search for complex organic molecules in the Interstellar Medium (ISM) and serves as a motivation for many in situ studies of […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Status Report
Optical Spectropolarimetry Of Large C-complex Asteroids: Polarimetric Evidence For Heterogeneous Surface Compositions
This study presents the first optical spectropolarimetric study of large C-complex asteroids. A total of 64 C-complex asteroids of different subclasses are analyzed using archival polarimetric and reflectance data to […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Organic Matter In The Asteroid Ryugu: What We Know So Far
Simple Summary: Organic matter is an integral part of all living things on our planet, but abiotic (not relating to life) organic matter can be found throughout the Solar System […]