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The asteroid hunter : a scientist's journey to the dawn of our solar system /|cDante S. Lauretta.
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2024
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Publishers Weekly Review
In this stellar debut memoir, planetary scientist Lauretta details his work as the principal investigator for NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, initiated in 2011 to retrieve an asteroid sample that arrived on Earth in September 2023. While working at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Lauretta discovered that schreibersite (a compound "ubiquitous in meteorites") forms substances critical to life when dissolved in water, suggesting asteroids might hold "the key to understanding the origin of life on Earth." Invigorated, Lauretta signed on to NASA's mission to collect a sample from the asteroid Bennu. Recreations of planning sessions between engineers provide captivating insight into the hard work and ingenuity that went into the mission. (Lauretta explains that calculating Bennu's weak orbit required his team to pioneer a novel way of determining an asteroid's mass by measuring how much heat it emits.) The author is a talented storyteller, spinning a gripping narrative out of scientists' efforts to overcome unforeseen obstacles under intense pressure ("Suddenly, I heard a brief gasp of surprise off to my right.... My mouth fell open as I glanced at the scene that appeared on screen," he writes of learning that "Bennu's surface had just exploded" for poorly understood reasons). Armchair astronomers should consider this a must read. Photos. Agent: Lauren Sharp, Aevitas Creative Management. (Mar.)
Booklist Review
Lauretta offers an account of the historic mission to obtain a sample from the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was launched in September 2016, collected samples from Bennu in 2020, and recently sent the capsule of materials back to Earth. Lauretta's sojourn to the position of NASA leader on this project is a journey worth reading about. He began his academic studies as a math major but had no idea what he wanted to do, until he found his calling with an ad posted in the University of Arizona's student paper for NASA's undergrad research program. He would soon join the SETI program, which would lead to a graduate program at Washington University where he worked on the Mars Observer mission. But his scientific aspirations proved fruitful when he gained approval from NASA many years later for a sample retrieval craft to Bennu. Not without many bumps along the way--including shutdowns due to COVID-19 and the Space-X rocket explosion which nearly destroyed OSIRIS-REx--ultimately the mission was a success. A fascinating book, especially for those who enjoy the details that go into a NASA mission.
Kirkus Review
An uplifting story of a NASA project to send an unmanned probe to an asteroid with the aim of collecting a soil sample. Lauretta, the mission's principal investigator, shows that this particular asteroid, named Bennu, had important advantages: It was relatively close to Earth, its composition indicated that it could provide clues to the origin of the solar system, and it was as large as an aircraft carrier. Another issue, however, was that astrophysical calculations suggested that at some point in the future--specifically, September 2182--Bennu might "hit the surface of the Earth at a velocity of Mach 36, or 27,000 miles per hour--a freight train crashing into the planet." The chance was only about one in 1,750, but NASA thought that Bennu was worth further investigation. The author tracks the years of planning, testing, and simulations. Building a spacecraft for the two-year journey to Bennu was difficult, but designing for the landing was even harder. Lauretta explains how NASA scientists solved countless problems during the design phase, and the OSIRIS-REx mission took flight in September 2016. when the spacecraft reached the asteroid, however, scientists discovered that Bennu held a few surprises. Far from being a smooth rock, Bennu offered very few possible landing sites, and the pitted surface turned out to be extremely soft. Nevertheless, touchdown was achieved, and a sample was collected. Then it was time for the return journey, and the probe landed in Utah in September 2023. The sample is now being analyzed in every possible way, but Lauretta is certain that the mission itself was entirely successful. The message is that the U.S. government can still complete remarkable projects, a resonant, hopeful conclusion that is much needed in these chaotic times. Lauretta's account of a historic mission is an impressive combination of fascinating science and human inspiration. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Summary
FEATURED IN THE NEW YORK TIMES , NPR'S SCIENCE FRIDAY, THE WASHINGTON POST , AND SCIENCE MAGAZINE



A "brilliant account of a 21st century real-life fantasy" (Sir Brian May) of space exploration and a lesson in fragility in the quest to return an asteroid sample and unlock the mystery of formation of life on earth, braided with the remarkable life story of the OSIRIS-REx mission leader, Dr. Dante Lauretta.



On September 11, 1999, humanity made a monumental discovery in the vastness of space. Scientists uncovered an asteroid of immense scientific importance--a colossal celestial entity. As massive as an aircraft carrier and towering as high as the iconic Empire State Building, this cosmic titan was later named Bennu. Remarkable for much more than its size, Bennu belonged to a rare breed of asteroids capable of revealing the essence of life itself. But just as Bennu became a beacon of promise, researchers identified a grave danger. Hurtling through space, it threatens to collide with our planet on September 24, 2182.



Leading the expedition was Dr. Dante Lauretta, the Principal Investigator of NASA's audacious OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. Tasked with unraveling Bennu's mysteries, his team embarked on a daring quest to retrieve a precious sample from the asteroid's surface -- one that held the potential to not only unlock the secrets of life's origins but also to avert an unprecedented catastrophe.



A tale of destiny and danger, The Asteroid Hunter chronicles the high-stakes mission firsthand, narrated by Dr. Lauretta. It offers readers an intimate glimpse into the riveting exploits of the mission and Dr. Lauretta's wild, winding personal journey to Bennu and back. Peeling back the curtain on the wonders of the cosmos, this enthralling account promises a rare glimpse into the tightly woven fabric of scientific exploration, where technical precision converges with humanity's profound curiosity and indominable spirit.



Table of Contents
Prologue: Bennuix
Interlude: Two Carbon Atoms3
Chapter 1Origins7
Chapter 2Signs of Life25
Chapter 3Harvesting the Stars43
Interlude: Carbon Apart61
Chapter 4Down and In63
Chapter 5Whatever It Takes81
Chapter 6The Mystery of the Dark Asteroid104
Chapter 7The Three Challenges115
Interlude: Carbon Alive135
Chapter 8Up and Out-After All137
Chapter 9Go OSIRIS-REx158
Chapter 10Arrival169
Interlude: Carbon Exposed195
Chapter 11June Madness197
Chapter 12The Final Four213
Interlude: Carbon Calling233
Chapter 13Touchdown!235
Chapter 14Departure250
Epilogue-Part 1: Homecoming265
Epilogue-Part 2: Carbon United279
Acknowledgments283
References287
Index299
About the Author319
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