The 94th Joseph Henry Lecture
OSIRIS-Rex Brings Samples of Bennu to Earth
An Adventure of Planning, Luck and Unlikely Events
Jason P. Dworkin
Senior Scientist for Astrobiology
Project Scientist, OSIRIS-REx
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sponsored by PSW Science Members Larry Millstein & Robin Taylor
About the Lecture
NASA’s robotic Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security – Regolith Explorer (“OSIRIS-REx”) steroid sample return mission was designed to gather clues to answering a number of questions central to human experience: Where did we come from? What is our destiny? Asteroids are leftover remnants of the solar system formation process that can help address these questions and inform us about the history of the solar system. OSIRIS-REx was designed and operated by a partnership of science and engineering necessary to overcome the formidable challenges of reaching an asteroid, taking samples there and returning the samples securely and safely to earth. OSIRIS-REx launched in September 2016 and arrived at the asteroid Bennu two years later, in December 2018. After arriving it studied this carbonaceous B-type near-Earth asteroid asteroid and collected >120g of surface rocks. It returned the samples to Earth five years after arriving at Bennu, in September 2023. The samples have been intensely studied by an international science team They have revealed much about the history of the solar system and have provided tantalizing clues to the origin of life in ways, results that could not have been obtained without them. In particular, the samples have provided a pristine record of chemical processes that occurred in the early solar system prior to the origin of life and they have a provided a glimpse into processes that preceded the emergence of life.
Selected Reading & Media References:
(1) Glavin DP, Dworkin JD, et al. 2025. “Abundant ammonia and nitrogen-rich soluble organic matter in samples from asteroid (101955) Bennu.” Nature Astronomy 9, 199–210. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02472-9
(2) McCoy TJ, Russell SS, et al. 2025. “An evaporite sequence from ancient brine recorded in Bennu samples.” Nature 637, 1072-1077. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08495-6
(3) Lauretta DS, Connolly HC, et al. 2024. “Asteroid (101955) Bennu in the laboratory: Properties of the sample collected by OSIRIS-REx.” Meteoritics & Planetary Science 59, 2453–2486. doi: 10.1111/maps.14227
(4) Lauretta DS et al. 2022. “Spacecraft sample collection and subsurface excavation of asteroid (101955) Bennu.” Science 377, 285–291. doi: 10.1126/science.abm1018
About the Speaker
Jason Dworkin is the project scientist for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, and senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).
His research is on the organic species that were available for the origin and early evolution of life. He has focused particularly on extraterrestrial inputs and origin of molecules relevant for life. Over the last 40 years, Jason’s focus has been on increasingly documented and constrained systems, from plausibly early Earth chemistry, chemistry of astrophysically relevant laboratory ices, organic and chiral analysis of meteorites, analysis of samples returned from extra-terrestrial bodies, and how to protect that material from contamination. His research employs modern analytical methods to examine authentic samples of the early solar system as well as laboratory models of ancient environments. This involves both directing research in the Astrobiology Analytical Lab at GSFC and scientific leadership in NASA sample return and in situ missions. He has studied soluble organic compounds (with an emphasis on amino acids) formed from laboratory ices simulating astrophysical environments, in sample by returned by JAXA’s Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions and those returned by NASA’s Apollo, Stardust, and OSIRIS-REx missions. He is also now a participating scientist on JAXA’s MMX mission to return samples from Phobos and he serves as sample integrity scientist for the Mars Sample Return mission.
Jason is an author on over 190 peer reviewed publications related to astrobiology.
Among other honors and awards Jason has received a NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, Maryland Chemist of the Year Award, Robert H. Goddard Center Director’s Award, numerous NASA team awards, including NASA Silver Achievement Medals, two Guinness World Records and, most recently, the Michael Collins National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement. Asteroid (27347) Dworkin is named in his honor.
Jason earned an AB in Biochemistry at Occidental College and a PhD in Biochemistry UC – San Diego.
Social Media Links:
https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sed/bio/jason.p.dworkin
https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/691/analytical/
http://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasondworkin/