One of the world\u2019s leading planetary scientists is chasing down a nearby asteroid to help retrieve the first-ever sample from one in orbit.<\/p>\n
Humberto Campins, a University of Central Florida professor who discovered water ice on two different asteroids last year, is part of a team that has just gotten the go-ahead for the NASA-sponsored OSIRIS-REx mission.<\/p>\n
The mission is a first-of-its-kind. The flight to the asteroid will pose challenges because asteroids have unusual gravity fields and can rotate much quicker than planets. Navigating the space vehicle to land on this type of asteroid \u2013 millions of miles away from Earth \u2013 and scoop up a sample of \u201cprimitive\u201d space rock also will be a first for the team.<\/p>\n
While Campins is leaving the navigation to others on the team, he will work with lead investigator Michael Drake from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona on choosing the best spot on the asteroid for obtaining the sample.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could hold very important clues about how the Earth and other planets in our solar system formed and evolved,\u201d Campins said from the Paris Observatory in France, where he is conducting research with European colleagues.<\/p>\n
Meteorites, or asteroid fragments, that hit the ground can lose more than 99 percent of their mass. However, that 99 percent is likely to contain the most interesting information about Earth\u2019s water and organic molecules, Campins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe asteroid fragments we retrieve will be pristine and not modified during atmospheric entry,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is as exciting as it gets.\u201d<\/p>\n