Bennu Archives

(A) C1 clast containing numerous magnetite (white), pyrrhotite (light gray), and dolomite grains (dark gray). (B) C1 clast with numerous dolomites marked “D,” indicating the dolomite crystal where the FIB was cut (bottom, arrowed, and outlined in yellow). (C) Bright-field TEM image of the FIBed dolomite crystal. Numerous cracks are arrowed. (D) Na x-ray map of the same area as in (C). -- [Science Advances]

Brines Discovered In A Meteorite From A Primitive CM Asteroid

by Keith CowingJuly 26, 2026July 26, 2026

[Science Advances] The CI (Ivuna-type) carbonaceous material returned from asteroids Ryugu and Bennu contain mobilized sodium from the evaporation or freezing of liquid water into brines, shedding light on the […]

Offset comparison between the JWST spectral repository of PEC asteroids

Comets and Asteroids

The Polana-Eulalia Complex with JWST NIRSpec: Connections to Bennu, Ryugu, and Outer Solar System Bodies

by Keith CowingJuly 22, 2026July 22, 2026

[astro-ph.EP] Carbon rich [C complex] asteroids provide insight into the early Solar System, and families of C complex asteroids serve as robust samples for learning about the internal structure of […]

C1 clasts in Hillsborough: On the left is a back-scattered electron image with two C1 748 clasts circled. On the right, an X-ray map of the same area as (A), indicating Na enrichment in 749 of the C1 clasts relative to the bulk of Hillsborough. Credit: NASA/SETI

Meteorites & Asteroids

Pristine Meteorite Examination Adds To Our Knowledge Of Ancient Asteroids

by Keith CowingJuly 19, 2026July 19, 2026

[NASA] A meteorite recovered immediately upon its fall to Earth on July 16, 2024, is helping NASA scientists uncover new clues about ancient water, the chemical evolution of primitive asteroids, […]

Transient absorbance difference spectra of a sample of LS-MS grade H2O. The sample thickness is 100 µm and the pump wavelength is 212 nm. -- The Journal of Chemical Physics

Astrochemistry

Photodynamics Of Amino Acids Under UV Excitation: Extraterrestrial Amino Acids

by Keith CowingJuly 6, 2026July 6, 2026

[J. Chem. Phys.] The detection of amino acids in extraterrestrial environments has important implications for astrobiology and prebiotic chemistry, yet the pathways to their syntheses and their photostability under such […]

Locations of the four candidate sites across a 2D map projection of Bennu’s surface captured by the OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite (OCAMS) (Bennett et al., 2021).

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report

Quantifying Surface Heterogeneity Across Asteroid (101955) Bennu using Candidate Site Remote Sensing Data

by Keith CowingJune 13, 2026June 13, 2026

The OSIRIS-REx mission acquired spatially resolved (2-10 m spot sizes) visible-near infrared (VNIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) spectra across four candidate sampling sites on asteroid (101955) Bennu: Nightingale, Osprey, Sandpiper, […]

Grayscale backscattered electron images of (a) OREX-803086-100 (“Sample A", hummocky) -- Science Direct

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report

Fatigue-crack Formation In Samples From Asteroid Bennu And Petrologic Controls On Boulder Properties And Evolution

by Keith CowingMay 12, 2026May 12, 2026

Thermal fatigue has been observed to be an important driver of boulder evolution on asteroid Bennu through the development of morphological features such as exfoliation flakes and linear fractures in […]

OSIRIS_Rex taking a sample of Asteroid Bennu -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report

The Science From Asteroid Sample Return Missions

by Keith CowingApril 28, 2026April 28, 2026

To date, three samples from near-Earth asteroids have been delivered to Earth by Japan’s Hayabusa (2010) and Hayabusa2 (2020) missions, and the United States OSIRIS-REx mission (2023).

[LEFT] Nano-FTIR measurement of Region 1 (belonging to the aliphatic-rich cluster). Color-coded nano-FTIR spectra (A) of spots shown in the SNOM topography (B), optical amplitude (C), and mechanical amplitude (D) images. [RIGHT] Region 2 (also belonging to the aliphatic-rich cluster). -- PNAS

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

Nanoscale Infrared Spectroscopy Reveals Complex Organic–mineral Assemblages In Asteroid Bennu

by Keith CowingApril 14, 2026April 14, 2026

Asteroid Bennu preserves primitive material from the early solar system, and returned samples allow direct examination of how organics and minerals were assembled and altered. We applied nanoscale infrared spectroscopy […]

Chemical processes in molecular clouds, such as grain-surface reactions and reactions in the gas phase, yield fundamental molecules, such as water, methanol, and ammonia. After experiencing further processes induced by energetic particles such as vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons and cosmic rays in the pre- or protosolar nebula stage, as well as (hydro)thermal events occurring on Solar System bodies after their formation, further complex organic molecules, such as those found in Bennu, Ryugu, and carbonaceous meteorites, may have been synthesized. (Image credit: NAOJ, NASA).

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Sample Return, Status Report

Distribution Of Extraterrestrial Nucleobases, Other N-heterocycles, And Their Precursors In A Sample From Asteroid Bennu

by Keith CowingApril 8, 2026April 8, 2026

The recent discovery of all five canonical nucleobases in samples from Bennu provides compelling evidence that some of life’s ingredients were synthesized abiotically in the parent body of this asteroid […]

[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 […]