HYBRID – General Meeting – May 2025

Title: OSIRIS-REx: Bennu’s Secrets Unveiled

On September 2023, the OSIRIS-REx mission successfully delivered a pristine sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth, marking a significant milestone in planetary science. In this talk, Dr. Lauretta presents the latest findings from his team’s studies, including the sample’s mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic properties, which confirm Bennu’s rich organic content and evidence of significant aqueous alteration. These are the result of his team’s comprehensive analyses of the returned material, revealing new insights into the early solar system and the processes that shaped planetary bodies. The new data not only advances our understanding of Bennu’s formation and history, but also offers clues about the origins of life on Earth. Join him as he explores how this mission’s groundbreaking discoveries are reshaping our understanding of the solar system’s evolution and our place within it.

Biography:  Dante Lauretta

Dante Lauretta grew up in Arizona and received a B.S. in physics and mathematics and a B.A. in Oriental Studies with a focus in Japanese from the University of Arizona in 1993 and a Ph.D. in Earth and planetary sciences from Washington University in St. Louis in 1997. He is currently a Regents Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. Lauretta is the leader of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. The spacecraft launched in September 2016 to begin its journey to Bennu, a carbon-rich, near Earth asteroid. The spacecraft rendezvoused with Bennu in 2018, and returned with a sample of the asteroid in 2023. Dr. Lauretta leads research about Bennu, and maintains an active research program in Cosmochemistry and Meteoritics. He is Director of the Arizona Astrobiology Center.