Dante Lauretta, The University of Arizona
Samples returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission provide an unprecedented view of the materials and processes that shaped the early Solar System. This lecture will explore what Bennu reveals about primitive asteroid evolution, water-rich minerals, organic matter, and the chemical building blocks inherited from the protoplanetary disk. These findings will be placed in the broader context of meteorites and early Solar System evolution, highlighting how returned samples are reshaping our understanding of the origins of planetary materials.
About the presenter
Dante Lauretta is a Regents Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and the Director of the Arizona Astrobiology Center. He is an expert in near-Earth asteroid formation and evolution and serves as the Principal Investigator of NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return mission. OSIRIS-REx is the United States' flagship mission to explore a potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid, Bennu, to study its physical and chemical properties, assess its impact risk, evaluate its resource potential, and return a pristine sample to Earth for detailed scientific analysis. The spacecraft launched in September 2016, reached Bennu in 2018, and successfully collected a sample in October 2020. On September 24, 2023, the mission achieved a major milestone when the sample capsule returned to Earth. Dante is also affiliated with NASA's OSIRIS-APEX mission, which builds on OSIRIS-REx's success by extending its exploration of asteroids. Having led the OSIRIS-REx mission to its historic sample return, Dante has since handed the leadership of OSIRIS-APEX to the next generation, ensuring the continued exploration of the solar system by fostering new talent and ideas.