Asteroid Sample Return Missions Are Critical For Understanding Our Solar System

Studying asteroids addresses a number of unknowns in planetary science. Investigating them makes use of asteroidal meteorites, remote observations and space-based missions.

However, to fully investigate these objects, analysis of pristine asteroid material in Earth-based laboratories is necessary. This requires missions which travel to an asteroid and return samples to Earth.

The Hayabusa, Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx sample return missions have showcased the criticality of having asteroid material in hand. Returned samples exhibit fragile mineralogy which does not survive meteorite fall, and is too small to be identified via remote sensing.

These missions paved the way for the deployment of future missions including sample return from the Martian moon Phobos, and visiting Psyche – the remanent core of a differentiated body. The study of asteroids, and particularly asteroid sample return, is necessary for the next generation of discoveries.

Astrobiology, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology,