Asteroids are the leftover building blocks of the solar system. These remnants from the dawn of planet formation may have delivered organics and water to early Earth, and could even hold clues to the origins of life. Now, a NASA mission called OSIRIS-REx has arrived at near-Earth asteroid Bennu. It will map and study the small body in great detail, and return a piece of Bennu to Earth in 2023. The discoveries of OSIRIS-REx will shed light on our solar system’s ancient history, and help pave the way for future exploration of other small bodies.
GCMD keywords can be found on the Internet with the following citation:
Olsen, L.M., G. Major, K. Shein, J. Scialdone, S. Ritz, T. Stevens, M. Morahan, A. Aleman, R. Vogel, S. Leicester, H. Weir, M. Meaux, S. Grebas, C.Solomon, M. Holland, T. Northcutt, R. A. Restrepo, R. Bilodeau, 2013. NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Earth Science Keywords. Version 8.0.0.0.0