LPL Spotlight Stories

OSIRIS-REx mission scientists thought sampling a piece of Bennu would be like a walk on the beach, but the surprisingly craggy surface proved to be more of a challenge. NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona

Highly Porous Rocks Responsible for Bennu's Surprisingly Craggy Surface

Using data from NASA OSIRIS-REx mission, a University of Arizona-led team of scientists concluded that asteroids with highly porous rocks, such as Bennu, should lack fine-grained material on their surfaces.
An artist impression of a close flyby of the metal-rich near-Earth asteroid 1986 DA. Astronomers using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility have confirmed that the asteroid is made of 85% metal. Addy Graham/University of Arizona

'Mini Psyches' Give Insights into Mysterious Metal-Rich Near-Earth Asteroids

New research into metal-rich asteroids reveals information about the origins and compositions of these rare bodies that could one day be mined.
Artist's illustration of two massive objects colliding.

Earth and Venus Grew up as Rambunctious Planets

What doesn't stick comes around: Using machine learning and simulations of giant impacts, researchers at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory found that the planets residing in the inner solar systems were likely born from repeated hit-and-run collisions, challenging conventional models of planet formation.

Dr. Heather Knutson Named Showman Distinguished Visiting Lecturer

Professor Heather Knutson has been named the inaugural speaker for the Adam P. Showman Distinguished Visiting Lectureship , scheduled for April 18-22, 2022.
In 2135, asteroid Bennu will make a close flyby of Earth. Our planet's gravity will tweak Bennu's path, making it a challenge to calculate its future trajectory. During the flyby, Bennu has an extremely small chance of passing through a gravitational keyhole that would set it on a path to impact Earth late in the 22nd century. NASA/Goddard

OSIRIS-REx Improves Understanding of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids

NASA and UArizona scientists were able to significantly reduce uncertainties about asteroid Bennu's orbit and determine the likelihood of the asteroid impacting Earth between now and the year 2300.

Mars Lake Hypothesis on Ice After Study Offers Different Explanation

Scientists have long debated what's under the surface of Mars' south pole. A new study points to clays being more likely than a subsurface lake. https://www.lpl.arizona.edu/postdocs/stefano-nerozzi
The NEOWISE infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope has made well over a million infrared observations of more than 39,000 asteroids and comets throughout the solar system. NASA/JPL

NASA Extends UArizona-Led Asteroid Search Mission

For two more years, NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or NEOWISE, will continue its hunt for asteroids and comets – including objects that could pose a hazard to Earth.
Artist’s illustration of the early solar system, at a time when no planets had formed yet. A swirling cloud of gas and dust surrounded the young sun. The cutaway through this so-called protoplanetary disk shows its three-dimensional structure.

Researchers Trace Dust Grain's Journey Through Newborn Solar System

Combining atomic-scale sample analysis and models simulating likely conditions in the nascent solar system, a new study reveals clues about the origin of crystals that formed more than 4.5 billion years ago.
The NEO Surveyor infrared space telescope is optimized for finding, tracking and characterizing potentially hazardous asteroids and comets. The spacecraft’s sunshade (silver vertical part) blocks out sunlight and keeps the telescope shielded so that it can search for the faint heat signatures from Earth-approaching objects. The asteroids will appear as strings of dots (color-coded red in the background image) that will stand out against the background stars (color-coded blue). NASA/JPL

UArizona to Lead Mission to Discover Potentially Dangerous Asteroids

NASA has tasked Amy Mainzer, an expert in infrared astronomy at the University of Arizona, with delivering NEO Surveyor, a mission to find, track and characterize yet unseen asteroids and comets that may pose a threat to Earth.
An artist’s concept of asteroid 16 Psyche. Maxar/ASU/P.Rubin/NASA/JPL-Caltech

Asteroid 16 Psyche Might Not Be What Scientists Expected

New UArizona research finds that the target asteroid of NASA's Psyche mission may not be as metallic or dense as previously predicted.