The Asteroid Hunter A Scientist's Journey to the Dawn of our Solar System

Dante Lauretta

eBook - 2024

In this "captivating, behind-the-scenes account" of NASA’s historic mission to return an asteroid sample and unlock the mystery of life on earth, readers will experience the daring mission while learning about its brave crew (Sara Seager). On September 11, 1999, humanity made a monumental discovery: an asteroid as massive as an aircraft carrier and towering as high as the Empire State Building. This cosmic titan (later named 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 Laur...etta, the Principal Investigator of NASA's audacious OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission. His team embarked on a quest to retrieve a precious sample from the asteroid's surface — one that held... more