Meteorites & Asteroids Archives

Micro-characteristics of 40 mJ × 80 times laser-irradiated Kheneg Ljouâd powders observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). a SEM secondary electron image of irradiated powder. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

Tianwen-2 Target Asteroid (469219) Kamo’oalewa Probably Develops An Itokawa-compositional But Ultra-highly Space-weathered Surface

by Keith CowingApril 1, 2026April 1, 2026

China’s Tianwen-2 mission plans to return samples from a small, rapidly spinning Earth quasi-satellite (469219) Kamo’oalewa. Previous studies linked Kamo’oalewa to lunar composition and origin.

Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor spew black smoke, which forms when super-hot vent water hits the cold ocean. Scientists view them as candidates for where life may have started, because they provide heat, minerals and chemical energy that early life could have used to form and grow. Richard Lutz

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Did Impacts From Meteors Help Start Life On Earth?

by Keith CowingApril 1, 2026April 1, 2026

Meteor impacts may have helped spark life on Earth, creating hot, chemical-rich environments where the first living cells could take shape, according to research integrated by a recent Rutgers University […]

Protocell formation on a scoriaceous micrometeorite. A scanning electron microscope image section of the micrometeorite (left), fluorescence microscope micrograph of protocells on the surface of the micrometeorite (right). Phospholipid membranes in the fluorescence micrograph are composed of Escherichia coli (E.coli) and soybean plant lipids, labeled with 1 wt% ATTO 655-DOPE. Unilamellar vesicles have only a thin fluorescent rim, while multilamellar membrane reservoirs are onion shell vesicles composed of densely packed lipid membranes. -- Astrobiology

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

From Space Dust To Protocells: Micrometeorites In Early Cellular Evolution

by Keith CowingMarch 31, 2026March 31, 2026

Solid surfaces have long been considered catalysts in prebiotic chemistry, yet their physical energy has rarely been explored as a driver of protocell assembly.

Iron isotopic compositions of CI chondrites, CV chondrites, and terrestrial rocks. The μ 54Fe and μ58Fe data for different sample types (see legend) from this study (solid symbols) together with data from previous works (open symbols) (Table S1). Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals. CV chondrites have similar μ 58Fe but elevated μ 54Fe compared to terrestrial samples. CI chondrites have similar μ 54Fe but elevated μ 58Fe compared to terrestrial samples. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

Iron Isotope Anomalies And The Origin Of The Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 30, 2026March 30, 2026

Understanding the origin of the Earth requires determining the original formation location of its building material.

HCN rainout rate over the conjoint parameter space of stellar effective temperature (Teff ) and effective solar flux in current Earth values (Seff ) and C/O ratio. a) Baseline Archean Earth C/O ratio of 0.514 with the black box on the plot and gray horizontal line on the colourbar representing the Archean Earth model and estimated maximum HCN delivery rate by meteorites, respectively; b) Histogram of all simulated HCN rainout rates with gray, black, and pink vertical dashed lines representing the estimated maximum exogenous HCN delivery rate, the Archean Earth model, and the median HCN rainout rate, respectively. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report

Atmospheric Supply Of HCN Is Not The Rate Limiting Step For Prebiotic Chemistry Across Rocky Exoplanets

by Keith CowingMarch 22, 2026March 22, 2026

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is crucial for the RNA World hypothesis, forming biomolecules essential for early life.

[L] Close-up of a sample particle from asteroid Bennu. Credit NASA/Scott Eckley [R] The same particle analyzed with X-ray computed tomography scanning. This specimen shows the most common types of crack networks observed in Bennu samples. One has an extensive and connect framework of curved cracks, whereas the other has sparse, straight and flat fractures. Credit NASA/Scott Eckley

Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Sample Return

Asteroid Bennu’s Rugged Surface Baffled NASA. We Finally Know Why

by Keith CowingMarch 18, 2026March 18, 2026

In one of the biggest surprises of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, its target asteroid, Bennu, turned out to be a jagged, rugged world covered in large boulders, with few of the […]

[Top] The boulder-covered moon Dimorphos as seen 8.55 seconds before the impact of the DART space craft. [Bottom] The same image after correcting for lighting conditions across the surface and shadows cast by boulders, revealing a fan-shaped pattern of streaks (highlighted in color for emphasis). Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/UMD.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Press Release, Sample Return

New NASA DART Mission Data Reveals that Asteroids Throw ‘Cosmic Snowballs’ at Each Other

by Keith CowingMarch 11, 2026March 11, 2026

About 15% of asteroids near Earth have small moons orbiting them, making binary asteroid systems common in our cosmic neighborhood.

(a) CORALS engineering test unit. (b) Schematic diagram of Fig. 1a illustrating key subsystems and components. (c) Ion optics simulation using SIMION® 8.1, showing a cut plane of the instrument. The brown structures show the geometry of electrodes, and red lines show ion trajectories generated within a 110-μm diameter circle centered on the optical axis. -- International Journal of Mass Spectrometry

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors

Chemical Imaging With A Spaceflight LDMS Instrument For Planetary Exploration

by Keith CowingMarch 10, 2026March 10, 2026

One of the analytical advantages of Laser desorption/ablation mass spectrometry (LDMS) is its potential for spatially-resolved composition analysis of solid samples, supporting 2D chemical mapping and/or 3D depth profiling as […]

Spectra of NEOs with (potential) 3 μm absorption features. (A) Spectrum of (161989) Cacus as observed on 2022 September 3 and 4. (B) (756998) 2024 CR9 as observed on 2024 June 9. (C) 1998 HH 49 as observed on 2023 October 19. (D) 2006 WB as observed on 2024 November 27. The blue points represent the reflectance spectra (thermal component removed) and the red dashed lines are the reflected continua. -- The Planetary Science Journal via X-mol.net

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report

Hydration Features on Near-Earth Objects: Integrating New Data with Prior Results

by Keith CowingMarch 10, 2026March 10, 2026

Near-Earth objects (NEOs) are excellent laboratories for testing processes that affect airless bodies, as well as informing us about solar system history.

OSIRIS-REx Sample Return after landing -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

OSIRIS-REx Derived Sample Site Products Release

by Keith CowingMarch 9, 2026March 9, 2026

This is the release of the OSIRIS-REx Derived Sample Site Products Bundle. This bundle contains detailed catalogs created during the Sample Site Selection Phase of the OSIRIS-REx mission.

Meteorites & Asteroids

Tianwen-2 Target Asteroid (469219) Kamo’oalewa Probably Develops An Itokawa-compositional But Ultra-highly Space-weathered Surface

Did Impacts From Meteors Help Start Life On Earth?

From Space Dust To Protocells: Micrometeorites In Early Cellular Evolution

Iron Isotope Anomalies And The Origin Of The Earth

Atmospheric Supply Of HCN Is Not The Rate Limiting Step For Prebiotic Chemistry Across Rocky Exoplanets

Asteroid Bennu’s Rugged Surface Baffled NASA. We Finally Know Why

New NASA DART Mission Data Reveals that Asteroids Throw ‘Cosmic Snowballs’ at Each Other

Chemical Imaging With A Spaceflight LDMS Instrument For Planetary Exploration

Hydration Features on Near-Earth Objects: Integrating New Data with Prior Results

OSIRIS-REx Derived Sample Site Products Release

Atmospheric Evolution Through Outgassing And Escape On Young Molten Rocky Exoplanets

The Exozodi Spectral Effect: Residual Habitable Zone Dust May Bias ExoEarth Characterization

The Majority Of Hot Jupiters Formed Beyond The Water Ice Line

Sulfur Photochemistry Observationally Traces Mantle Redox States Of Rocky Planets

Tracing The Source Of Carbon Oxides On The Large Moons Of Uranus