U015
Spacecraft at asteroids and comets: journey to the origin of the Earth
Spacecraft at asteroids and comets: journey to the origin of the Earth
Session ID#: 84653
Session Description:
Asteroids and comets are the “living fossils” of the building blocks of the planets, because they are expected to have experienced minimal alterations since the early days of the Solar System. Observations have revealed the presence of water (including hydrated minerals) and organics on both carbonaceous asteroids and comets, suggesting that their delivery to Earth might be closely connected with the development of the habitable environment. This has resulted in a global movement in space missions to both explore and return samples from these small bodies and we are now harvesting the first fruits of this movement. The session highlights on the latest results of JAXA’s Hayabusa2 to carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu, and compares them with the results of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx to carbonaceous asteroid Bennu and ESA’s Rosetta to comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Together, the session will introduce future international plans on uncovering conditions needed for building habitable planets around a star.
Index Terms:
5205 Formation of stars and planets [PLANETARY SCIENCES: ASTROBIOLOGY]
5215 Origin of life [PLANETARY SCIENCES: ASTROBIOLOGY]
6205 Asteroids [PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS]
6210 Comets [PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS]
Primary Convener: Seiichiro Watanabe, Nagoya Univ., Nagoya, Japan
Conveners: Masaki Fujimoto, JAXA, Sgamihara, Japan, Lori Sherea Glaze, NASA Headquarters, Planetary Science Division, Washington, DC, United States and Masatoshi Hirabayashi, Auburn University, Aerospace Engineering, Auburn, AL, United States
Primary Liaison: Seiichiro Watanabe, Nagoya Univ., Nagoya, Japan
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