How to Select an Asteroid to Sample

Hi my name is Heather Enos, and I am the Deputy Principal Investigator of the OSIRIS-REx mission at the University of Arizona. So as we are exploring Bennu, we chose Bennu with the idea that it was a carbon-rich asteroid and that was really the material we wanted to be able to bring back to Earth for further analysis in our laboratories. Turns out we picked the right asteroid based on all of the characterization that we have done of the composition of the surface with our spectrometers and our camera systems. Bennu is really a carbon-rich asteroid with lots of hydrated minerals, and that’s really important because those are the two major elements that are the precursors necessary for life to pour on Earth as we know it today. So we’re really excited we’re bringing back the right sample to put into the laboratories. .