NASA | Studying an Asteroid on Earth

Astrobiologists like Jason Dworkin are keenly interested in the origins of life on Earth, but the evidence that they seek was erased long ago by Earth’s geology and chemistry. Fortunately, asteroids like Bennu preserve the solar system’s earliest ingredients, including the carbon-based building blocks of life. That’s why NASA is sending a spacecraft called OSIRIS-REx to explore asteroid Bennu and bring a sample back to Earth. The material collected by OSIRIS-REx will provide a wealth of data for future generations of astrobiologists, shedding light on one of Earth’s biggest mysteries.