The search for evidence of extraterrestrial life in our Solar System is currently guided by our
understanding of terrestrial biology and its associated biosignatures. The observed …

Clay minerals, or analogously phyllosilicates, are some of the most astonishing minerals
ever discovered on Mars due to their roles as indicators of water-rock interaction. Their …

Samples of the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu were brought to Earth by the Hayabusa2
spacecraft. We analyzed 17 Ryugu samples measuring 1 to 8 millimeters. Carbon dioxide …

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft investigated the C-type (carbonaceous) asteroid (162173)
Ryugu. The mission performed two landing operations to collect samples of surface and …

Without a protective atmosphere, space-exposed surfaces of airless Solar System bodies
gradually experience an alteration in composition, structure and optical properties through a …

Abstract NASA'S Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security-
Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft recently arrived at the near-Earth asteroid …

Carbonaceous asteroids, such as (101955) Bennu, preserve material from the early Solar
System, including volatile compounds and organic molecules. We report spacecraft imaging …

Establishing the abundance and physical properties of regolith and boulders on asteroids is
crucial for understanding the formation and degradation mechanisms at work on their …

The shapes of asteroids reflect interplay between their interior properties and the processes
responsible for their formation and evolution as they journey through the Solar System. Prior …

When the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft pressed its sample collection mechanism into the surface
of Bennu, it provided a direct test of the poorly understood near-subsurface physical …