The science from asteroid sample return missions
Elizabeth J. Tasker, Harold C. Connolly, Shogo Tachibana
TLDR
Asteroid sample return missions (Hayabusa, Hayabusa2, OSIRIS-REx) offer pristine materials to study planetary formation, early Earth's water/organics, and hazardous asteroids.
Key contributions
- Reviews science from Hayabusa, Hayabusa2, and OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return missions.
- Explores how pristine asteroid samples reveal planetary formation processes.
- Investigates the delivery of organics and water to early Earth via asteroids.
- Examines the nature of potentially hazardous asteroids using returned samples.
Why it matters
This paper highlights the critical role of asteroid sample return missions in understanding our solar system's origins. Analyzing these pristine samples offers insights into planetary formation, early Earth's composition, and asteroid hazard mitigation.
Original Abstract
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). Free from terrestrial contamination, these pristine materials provide new opportunities to investigate planetary formation processes, the delivery of organics and water to the early Earth, and the nature of potentially hazardous asteroids. As analysis of the asteroid samples proceeds in laboratories around the world, we visit each of the missions, review the initial scientific findings, and explore the value of sample return in understanding our origins and protecting our future.
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