1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:29,750 [Music] 2 00:00:33,510 --> 00:00:31,189 greetings friends and 3 00:00:35,030 --> 00:00:33,520 fellow fans of sample return missions 4 00:00:37,910 --> 00:00:35,040 from our solar system 5 00:00:39,830 --> 00:00:37,920 this is ask an astrobiologist the show 6 00:00:42,310 --> 00:00:39,840 that celebrates the science 7 00:00:44,630 --> 00:00:42,320 and celebrates the scientists involved 8 00:00:46,389 --> 00:00:44,640 in our quest to understand the nature of 9 00:00:49,830 --> 00:00:46,399 life in the cosmos 10 00:00:52,470 --> 00:00:49,840 our origins evolution the distribution 11 00:00:54,150 --> 00:00:52,480 of life throughout the universe i'm dr 12 00:00:57,189 --> 00:00:54,160 graham lau your host 13 00:00:59,510 --> 00:00:57,199 also known online as the cosmobiologist 14 00:01:02,389 --> 00:00:59,520 and we're brought to you by saganet.org 15 00:01:04,390 --> 00:01:02,399 and the nasa astrobiology program 16 00:01:05,509 --> 00:01:04,400 now this month's special feature episode 17 00:01:07,350 --> 00:01:05,519 is going to be so 18 00:01:08,710 --> 00:01:07,360 awesome i actually feel some nervousness 19 00:01:09,590 --> 00:01:08,720 of my own right now just thinking about 20 00:01:11,590 --> 00:01:09,600 how cool 21 00:01:13,510 --> 00:01:11,600 this is going to be we're going to talk 22 00:01:16,469 --> 00:01:13,520 with some researchers who are involved 23 00:01:17,109 --> 00:01:16,479 in the osiris-rex mission team for those 24 00:01:19,830 --> 00:01:17,119 who don't know 25 00:01:22,310 --> 00:01:19,840 osiris-rex is a spacecraft that just 26 00:01:24,710 --> 00:01:22,320 recently left the asteroid bennu 27 00:01:25,590 --> 00:01:24,720 with a sample in hand to bring it back 28 00:01:28,469 --> 00:01:25,600 to earth 29 00:01:28,950 --> 00:01:28,479 for further study but before we get to 30 00:01:30,870 --> 00:01:28,960 that 31 00:01:33,109 --> 00:01:30,880 i want to introduce our ambassadors of 32 00:01:33,590 --> 00:01:33,119 the month those who've done the work of 33 00:01:36,390 --> 00:01:33,600 going 34 00:01:37,510 --> 00:01:36,400 online on twitter and other places to 35 00:01:40,550 --> 00:01:37,520 share their love 36 00:01:41,590 --> 00:01:40,560 for ask an astrobiologist this month's 37 00:01:45,350 --> 00:01:41,600 winners 38 00:01:46,710 --> 00:01:45,360 joe landon denise and amarut mohanty 39 00:01:48,469 --> 00:01:46,720 who shared their love for ask an 40 00:01:50,149 --> 00:01:48,479 astrobiologist on twitter 41 00:01:52,950 --> 00:01:50,159 thank you very much to all of you for 42 00:01:55,190 --> 00:01:52,960 being big supporters of our show 43 00:01:57,109 --> 00:01:55,200 so thank you everyone for tuning in and 44 00:01:58,950 --> 00:01:57,119 i think we can get this started 45 00:02:00,389 --> 00:01:58,960 i'm going to start off by introducing dr 46 00:02:02,069 --> 00:02:00,399 scott sanford 47 00:02:03,429 --> 00:02:02,079 dr sanford is a member of the 48 00:02:05,350 --> 00:02:03,439 astrochemical 49 00:02:07,109 --> 00:02:05,360 astrochemistry laboratory at nasa ames 50 00:02:08,469 --> 00:02:07,119 research center investigator for 51 00:02:09,910 --> 00:02:08,479 osiris-rex 52 00:02:12,070 --> 00:02:09,920 dr sanford has also been a 53 00:02:12,869 --> 00:02:12,080 co-investigator on jax's hayabusa 54 00:02:16,229 --> 00:02:12,879 mission 55 00:02:18,070 --> 00:02:16,239 sanford 56 00:02:19,670 --> 00:02:18,080 welcome to ask an astrobiologist and 57 00:02:20,790 --> 00:02:19,680 thank you for joining us well thanks for 58 00:02:23,190 --> 00:02:20,800 having me on i've been looking forward 59 00:02:24,790 --> 00:02:23,200 to this yeah it's so great i mean i'm so 60 00:02:26,229 --> 00:02:24,800 excited for the whole group here 61 00:02:28,550 --> 00:02:26,239 um before we introduce the rest of the 62 00:02:30,070 --> 00:02:28,560 panel i kind of wonder if you can just 63 00:02:32,390 --> 00:02:30,080 kind of briefly give us 64 00:02:33,430 --> 00:02:32,400 a little background on the trajectory of 65 00:02:35,350 --> 00:02:33,440 your research 66 00:02:37,110 --> 00:02:35,360 in all these different sample return 67 00:02:38,869 --> 00:02:37,120 missions all these different missions 68 00:02:40,150 --> 00:02:38,879 and what you think kind of the grand 69 00:02:43,509 --> 00:02:40,160 scheme is for 70 00:02:45,110 --> 00:02:43,519 sample return in the future as well 71 00:02:46,710 --> 00:02:45,120 okay i've been fortunate to be on a 72 00:02:48,390 --> 00:02:46,720 number of sample return missions 73 00:02:50,309 --> 00:02:48,400 uh starting with the stardust which 74 00:02:53,350 --> 00:02:50,319 brought back samples of comet 75 00:02:54,550 --> 00:02:53,360 thus from comet build 2 and 76 00:02:55,589 --> 00:02:54,560 sample return missions are a very 77 00:02:57,030 --> 00:02:55,599 special kind of mission they're 78 00:02:58,710 --> 00:02:57,040 difficult because you not 79 00:03:00,630 --> 00:02:58,720 only need to get to some object in space 80 00:03:03,110 --> 00:03:00,640 but you have to get back 81 00:03:03,990 --> 00:03:03,120 and that increases the complexity but 82 00:03:06,149 --> 00:03:04,000 the advantage of bringing 83 00:03:07,110 --> 00:03:06,159 a sample back is that you can do things 84 00:03:09,030 --> 00:03:07,120 that you couldn't do 85 00:03:11,030 --> 00:03:09,040 otherwise i mean most missions go to an 86 00:03:13,430 --> 00:03:11,040 object they do remote observations as 87 00:03:15,830 --> 00:03:13,440 they fly by or perhaps rendezvous 88 00:03:17,670 --> 00:03:15,840 and then you're sort of done whereas 89 00:03:19,430 --> 00:03:17,680 when you have a sample return mission 90 00:03:21,110 --> 00:03:19,440 you can do all those remote observations 91 00:03:22,710 --> 00:03:21,120 but then you get to sample back 92 00:03:24,390 --> 00:03:22,720 and you can study it on the earth and at 93 00:03:25,750 --> 00:03:24,400 that point your spacecraft's payload 94 00:03:28,229 --> 00:03:25,760 effectively becomes 95 00:03:30,229 --> 00:03:28,239 all the analytical devices on the planet 96 00:03:33,509 --> 00:03:30,239 earth so you can simply do things that 97 00:03:35,509 --> 00:03:33,519 you could never do remotely and so 98 00:03:37,430 --> 00:03:35,519 this is a just a tremendous power for 99 00:03:37,670 --> 00:03:37,440 sample return missions of all types and 100 00:03:41,430 --> 00:03:37,680 i 101 00:03:42,789 --> 00:03:41,440 know more of these 102 00:03:43,910 --> 00:03:42,799 yeah absolutely i remember from my 103 00:03:45,030 --> 00:03:43,920 graduate work i was working with 104 00:03:46,789 --> 00:03:45,040 synchrotrons 105 00:03:48,630 --> 00:03:46,799 uh doing x-ray spectroscopy and i always 106 00:03:50,710 --> 00:03:48,640 thought i got i can't take a synchrotron 107 00:03:51,990 --> 00:03:50,720 to mars or to an asteroid 108 00:03:54,229 --> 00:03:52,000 that's an instrument that's not only 109 00:03:55,670 --> 00:03:54,239 bigger than the osiris-rex spacecraft 110 00:03:57,270 --> 00:03:55,680 i think it's probably bigger than the 111 00:03:58,149 --> 00:03:57,280 launch pad from which the spacecraft 112 00:04:01,190 --> 00:03:58,159 left so 113 00:04:04,550 --> 00:04:02,949 you can bring the comet or the asteroid 114 00:04:06,149 --> 00:04:04,560 back to the synchrotron 115 00:04:07,429 --> 00:04:06,159 absolutely yeah so we have those samples 116 00:04:08,070 --> 00:04:07,439 we can bring them back and study them 117 00:04:10,390 --> 00:04:08,080 here 118 00:04:12,630 --> 00:04:10,400 um that's fantastic uh our second 119 00:04:13,670 --> 00:04:12,640 panelist to introduce is dr jason 120 00:04:17,990 --> 00:04:13,680 dworkin 121 00:04:20,390 --> 00:04:18,000 project scientist working from 122 00:04:22,310 --> 00:04:20,400 nasa's goddard space flight center his 123 00:04:24,629 --> 00:04:22,320 work is focused on assessing the organic 124 00:04:27,430 --> 00:04:24,639 species available for the origins and 125 00:04:28,070 --> 00:04:27,440 early evolution of life with a focus on 126 00:04:30,150 --> 00:04:28,080 understanding 127 00:04:31,510 --> 00:04:30,160 extraterrestrial sources and molecules 128 00:04:33,189 --> 00:04:31,520 relevant for life 129 00:04:34,550 --> 00:04:33,199 dr dworkin directs the research 130 00:04:36,550 --> 00:04:34,560 astrobiological 131 00:04:38,790 --> 00:04:36,560 analytical laboratory at nasa goddard 132 00:04:41,030 --> 00:04:38,800 and has taken scientific leadership 133 00:04:43,670 --> 00:04:41,040 roles in nasa sample return and in situ 134 00:04:45,430 --> 00:04:43,680 missions uh so dr dworkin welcome to ask 135 00:04:47,909 --> 00:04:45,440 an astro biologist 136 00:04:49,749 --> 00:04:47,919 thank you i'm excited to be here today 137 00:04:50,950 --> 00:04:49,759 uh i'm wondering uh before we introduce 138 00:04:53,270 --> 00:04:50,960 our third panelist 139 00:04:54,390 --> 00:04:53,280 if you can give us kind of just a 140 00:04:56,230 --> 00:04:54,400 general scheme 141 00:04:57,909 --> 00:04:56,240 of what the objectives what the mission 142 00:05:00,469 --> 00:04:57,919 goals have been 143 00:05:02,710 --> 00:05:00,479 with osiris-rex both at bennu and with 144 00:05:06,070 --> 00:05:02,720 sample return 145 00:05:07,830 --> 00:05:06,080 so osiris-rex is of course an acronym uh 146 00:05:09,110 --> 00:05:07,840 and the acronym in this case a lot of 147 00:05:11,670 --> 00:05:09,120 the mission objectives 148 00:05:13,990 --> 00:05:11,680 origins to study the origins of the 149 00:05:16,629 --> 00:05:14,000 solar system the origins of life 150 00:05:17,830 --> 00:05:16,639 by looking at the sample spectral 151 00:05:21,110 --> 00:05:17,840 interpretation to look 152 00:05:23,110 --> 00:05:21,120 at at this asteroid spectroscopically 153 00:05:24,550 --> 00:05:23,120 and apply what we learned to other 154 00:05:25,510 --> 00:05:24,560 asteroids because there's a million 155 00:05:28,469 --> 00:05:25,520 asteroids 156 00:05:30,550 --> 00:05:28,479 but not a million missions to visit them 157 00:05:33,670 --> 00:05:30,560 resource investigation 158 00:05:34,710 --> 00:05:33,680 to understand how to perhaps someday 159 00:05:37,350 --> 00:05:34,720 mine asteroids 160 00:05:38,150 --> 00:05:37,360 and navigate around such small objects 161 00:05:40,469 --> 00:05:38,160 security 162 00:05:41,590 --> 00:05:40,479 to understand how to track and 163 00:05:43,830 --> 00:05:41,600 potentially deflect 164 00:05:46,310 --> 00:05:43,840 asteroids and regulate explorer to look 165 00:05:47,990 --> 00:05:46,320 at the at this asteroid and find detail 166 00:05:49,590 --> 00:05:48,000 both on the surface and of course in our 167 00:05:51,350 --> 00:05:49,600 laboratories 168 00:05:53,110 --> 00:05:51,360 now that's so many different parts of 169 00:05:54,710 --> 00:05:53,120 this mission that are crucial and 170 00:05:56,550 --> 00:05:54,720 honestly i didn't actually think that 171 00:05:58,150 --> 00:05:56,560 much about the security fact this idea 172 00:05:59,029 --> 00:05:58,160 that we might actually need to track 173 00:06:00,390 --> 00:05:59,039 these things 174 00:06:02,150 --> 00:06:00,400 and be prepared for them as well which 175 00:06:03,189 --> 00:06:02,160 is like a whole other thing besides just 176 00:06:06,230 --> 00:06:03,199 the science of 177 00:06:09,029 --> 00:06:06,240 studying ben now indeed 178 00:06:10,070 --> 00:06:09,039 um a bennu is a potentially hazardous 179 00:06:12,550 --> 00:06:10,080 object 180 00:06:13,510 --> 00:06:12,560 with a 1 2 700 chance of hitting the 181 00:06:16,070 --> 00:06:13,520 earth 182 00:06:17,110 --> 00:06:16,080 in the late 22nd century so a long time 183 00:06:18,870 --> 00:06:17,120 from now 184 00:06:20,390 --> 00:06:18,880 but the data that we get from this 185 00:06:24,309 --> 00:06:20,400 mission will enable 186 00:06:25,830 --> 00:06:24,319 future scientists and engineers in 2135 187 00:06:26,550 --> 00:06:25,840 when the asteroid does a close approach 188 00:06:28,309 --> 00:06:26,560 with earth 189 00:06:29,749 --> 00:06:28,319 to make decisions about if we need to 190 00:06:32,550 --> 00:06:29,759 deflect it and if so 191 00:06:34,150 --> 00:06:32,560 how have this wealth of data on the 192 00:06:36,550 --> 00:06:34,160 topography of the asteroid 193 00:06:37,510 --> 00:06:36,560 and how it responds to when a spacecraft 194 00:06:39,590 --> 00:06:37,520 touches it 195 00:06:41,350 --> 00:06:39,600 and details on the sample chemistry so 196 00:06:43,029 --> 00:06:41,360 we can actually design how to 197 00:06:44,550 --> 00:06:43,039 how to deflect it and of course apply 198 00:06:46,550 --> 00:06:44,560 that to other asteroids as they 199 00:06:47,909 --> 00:06:46,560 potentially pose threats 200 00:06:50,230 --> 00:06:47,919 that's wonderful yeah i just read a 201 00:06:51,670 --> 00:06:50,240 roman chrisnerics book the good ancestor 202 00:06:54,070 --> 00:06:51,680 and that just makes me think a lot about 203 00:06:55,909 --> 00:06:54,080 you know how our nasa missions today 204 00:06:57,110 --> 00:06:55,919 are making us good ancestors for future 205 00:06:58,870 --> 00:06:57,120 generations by 206 00:07:00,070 --> 00:06:58,880 preparing for some of that needed work 207 00:07:00,710 --> 00:07:00,080 that they'll have to do so it's very 208 00:07:03,189 --> 00:07:00,720 cool that 209 00:07:05,270 --> 00:07:03,199 osiris-rex is involved in that to 210 00:07:08,070 --> 00:07:05,280 introduce our third panelist 211 00:07:10,309 --> 00:07:08,080 we have dr eve berger joining us dr 212 00:07:12,550 --> 00:07:10,319 berger is a senior research scientist at 213 00:07:14,309 --> 00:07:12,560 nasa's johnson space flight center 214 00:07:16,390 --> 00:07:14,319 her current research includes exploring 215 00:07:17,029 --> 00:07:16,400 the effects of impact processes on the 216 00:07:19,510 --> 00:07:17,039 formation 217 00:07:21,430 --> 00:07:19,520 and evolution of amino acids as well as 218 00:07:22,230 --> 00:07:21,440 looking at extraterrestrial amino acid 219 00:07:25,029 --> 00:07:22,240 abundances 220 00:07:26,550 --> 00:07:25,039 in meteorite samples dr berger is a 221 00:07:29,510 --> 00:07:26,560 collaborator with the osiris 222 00:07:30,950 --> 00:07:29,520 osiris-rex mission and also a mars 2020 223 00:07:32,150 --> 00:07:30,960 science team member working with the 224 00:07:34,070 --> 00:07:32,160 sherlock team 225 00:07:35,909 --> 00:07:34,080 uh so dr berger thank you for joining us 226 00:07:38,710 --> 00:07:35,919 for ask an astrobiologist 227 00:07:39,189 --> 00:07:38,720 thanks fran i'm glad to be here uh i 228 00:07:41,510 --> 00:07:39,199 think 229 00:07:43,029 --> 00:07:41,520 for a first question for you if i can so 230 00:07:44,390 --> 00:07:43,039 you've had a background i understand 231 00:07:45,909 --> 00:07:44,400 that when you were a graduate student 232 00:07:46,309 --> 00:07:45,919 you were working on some samples from 233 00:07:48,710 --> 00:07:46,319 vilt 234 00:07:50,309 --> 00:07:48,720 ii you've had a background kind of using 235 00:07:52,309 --> 00:07:50,319 instrumentation to 236 00:07:54,790 --> 00:07:52,319 study amino acid abundances in these 237 00:07:56,869 --> 00:07:54,800 materials cometary asteroidal and 238 00:07:58,070 --> 00:07:56,879 in meteoritics i'm wondering if you can 239 00:07:59,990 --> 00:07:58,080 kind of speak to us 240 00:08:01,270 --> 00:08:00,000 about this this work that you've done 241 00:08:02,950 --> 00:08:01,280 through your career now 242 00:08:04,790 --> 00:08:02,960 advancing to the point of becoming part 243 00:08:08,070 --> 00:08:04,800 of the osiris-rex team 244 00:08:10,629 --> 00:08:08,080 sure um so early on in my career um 245 00:08:12,629 --> 00:08:10,639 during my graduate work i did mostly uh 246 00:08:14,950 --> 00:08:12,639 electron microscopy works using 247 00:08:17,749 --> 00:08:14,960 transmission electron microscope that 248 00:08:20,710 --> 00:08:17,759 allows us to see 249 00:08:21,749 --> 00:08:20,720 crystal structure and identify minerals 250 00:08:23,270 --> 00:08:21,759 and the 251 00:08:25,029 --> 00:08:23,280 the relationships they have to one 252 00:08:27,029 --> 00:08:25,039 another which tell us about how they 253 00:08:28,790 --> 00:08:27,039 formed or where they formed or what 254 00:08:31,670 --> 00:08:28,800 under what conditions they formed 255 00:08:32,790 --> 00:08:31,680 and so i carried on doing that kind of 256 00:08:35,670 --> 00:08:32,800 work on 257 00:08:36,550 --> 00:08:35,680 build two and also chondritic samples 258 00:08:38,790 --> 00:08:36,560 and then 259 00:08:41,190 --> 00:08:38,800 a few years ago i started working with 260 00:08:42,310 --> 00:08:41,200 another organic geochemist at johnson 261 00:08:43,829 --> 00:08:42,320 space center and 262 00:08:45,910 --> 00:08:43,839 we started looking and we were looking 263 00:08:47,829 --> 00:08:45,920 at amino acids kind of continuing on the 264 00:08:51,509 --> 00:08:47,839 work that he had started 265 00:08:51,910 --> 00:08:51,519 and so we look at what organic compounds 266 00:08:54,550 --> 00:08:51,920 are 267 00:08:55,509 --> 00:08:54,560 in meteorites and what i've done uh with 268 00:08:57,750 --> 00:08:55,519 him in the next step 269 00:08:59,590 --> 00:08:57,760 is to sort of look at what happens when 270 00:09:01,750 --> 00:08:59,600 those amino acids are delivered 271 00:09:03,269 --> 00:09:01,760 to the earth how do they go from what we 272 00:09:05,590 --> 00:09:03,279 see in the meteorite 273 00:09:07,110 --> 00:09:05,600 to well the life that we see in each 274 00:09:08,070 --> 00:09:07,120 other's eyes as we're looking at the 275 00:09:11,110 --> 00:09:08,080 screens today 276 00:09:13,509 --> 00:09:11,120 and so i like to cook so i sort of 277 00:09:14,790 --> 00:09:13,519 sort of use a cooking analogy so have 278 00:09:16,550 --> 00:09:14,800 you ever been out if you've ever been 279 00:09:19,110 --> 00:09:16,560 out for a good meal and at the end 280 00:09:20,949 --> 00:09:19,120 someone hands you a dessert that is just 281 00:09:22,230 --> 00:09:20,959 fantastic you could continue eating it 282 00:09:22,949 --> 00:09:22,240 for the rest of your life when you think 283 00:09:24,949 --> 00:09:22,959 to yourself 284 00:09:26,230 --> 00:09:24,959 i could make that at home no problem 285 00:09:27,030 --> 00:09:26,240 there's a little bit of chocolate in 286 00:09:30,230 --> 00:09:27,040 there 287 00:09:31,829 --> 00:09:30,240 i'm detecting a note of some some ginger 288 00:09:33,590 --> 00:09:31,839 and maybe a little bit of cinnamon but 289 00:09:34,070 --> 00:09:33,600 you get home and you realize you don't 290 00:09:36,550 --> 00:09:34,080 know 291 00:09:38,150 --> 00:09:36,560 exactly what ingredients were used and 292 00:09:39,190 --> 00:09:38,160 you don't know exactly how they were 293 00:09:42,550 --> 00:09:39,200 mixed together 294 00:09:44,470 --> 00:09:42,560 was it pan fried was it baked was it 295 00:09:46,310 --> 00:09:44,480 air chilled all those kinds of things 296 00:09:48,150 --> 00:09:46,320 and so when we're looking at how do we 297 00:09:50,150 --> 00:09:48,160 go from 298 00:09:52,150 --> 00:09:50,160 organic materials delivered to the 299 00:09:55,030 --> 00:09:52,160 surface of the earth to life 300 00:09:57,190 --> 00:09:55,040 we need to know both the process and the 301 00:10:00,310 --> 00:09:57,200 starting materials and so 302 00:10:02,230 --> 00:10:00,320 i can simulate asteroidal impacts in my 303 00:10:04,310 --> 00:10:02,240 lab and see if the energy from that 304 00:10:07,590 --> 00:10:04,320 impact is enough to 305 00:10:09,750 --> 00:10:07,600 uh promote polymerization or the joining 306 00:10:10,790 --> 00:10:09,760 of two amino acids together to form a 307 00:10:12,790 --> 00:10:10,800 peptide 308 00:10:14,310 --> 00:10:12,800 or is it too much energy and they get 309 00:10:16,829 --> 00:10:14,320 destroyed and that's not the way that 310 00:10:19,670 --> 00:10:16,839 things progressed on the early earth 311 00:10:21,910 --> 00:10:19,680 um in general 312 00:10:23,350 --> 00:10:21,920 we don't know the process but we can get 313 00:10:24,949 --> 00:10:23,360 a much better answer on the starting 314 00:10:26,790 --> 00:10:24,959 materials from osiris-rex 315 00:10:28,550 --> 00:10:26,800 so this will be the first sample that we 316 00:10:29,509 --> 00:10:28,560 have from an asteroid that's completely 317 00:10:31,750 --> 00:10:29,519 pristine 318 00:10:32,870 --> 00:10:31,760 no terrestrial contamination at all so 319 00:10:35,269 --> 00:10:32,880 it gives us 320 00:10:36,949 --> 00:10:35,279 sort of our starting recipe um which is 321 00:10:38,150 --> 00:10:36,959 great for someone who does experimental 322 00:10:40,949 --> 00:10:38,160 work because i know that 323 00:10:42,949 --> 00:10:40,959 i'm then more closely approximating uh 324 00:10:44,790 --> 00:10:42,959 what happened on the early earth 325 00:10:46,870 --> 00:10:44,800 and i love that i love the analogy to 326 00:10:48,389 --> 00:10:46,880 cooking since i love to cook myself and 327 00:10:50,150 --> 00:10:48,399 trying to reverse engineered dishes can 328 00:10:51,590 --> 00:10:50,160 be very hard so having some knowledge of 329 00:10:53,750 --> 00:10:51,600 your starting ingredients and 330 00:10:55,670 --> 00:10:53,760 some of the process is is really helpful 331 00:10:56,949 --> 00:10:55,680 right um i really love that i think it's 332 00:10:58,470 --> 00:10:56,959 good for our audience too especially 333 00:10:59,829 --> 00:10:58,480 some of the younger ones who might 334 00:11:01,269 --> 00:10:59,839 want to get involved in this research 335 00:11:03,430 --> 00:11:01,279 themselves one day to remember that you 336 00:11:04,710 --> 00:11:03,440 know how they're framing their thinking 337 00:11:06,710 --> 00:11:04,720 about being involved in this kind of 338 00:11:08,310 --> 00:11:06,720 work and also i have a bunch of 339 00:11:10,069 --> 00:11:08,320 meteorites in my own collection and one 340 00:11:11,990 --> 00:11:10,079 of my favorites is murchison which has 341 00:11:13,509 --> 00:11:12,000 an abundance of amino acids in it 342 00:11:15,430 --> 00:11:13,519 and it's always cool to just like share 343 00:11:16,790 --> 00:11:15,440 that with other people and and tell them 344 00:11:18,150 --> 00:11:16,800 you know we're learning so much about 345 00:11:20,230 --> 00:11:18,160 organic chemistry 346 00:11:21,750 --> 00:11:20,240 in the cosmos beyond our own planet by 347 00:11:24,069 --> 00:11:21,760 having these materials 348 00:11:25,509 --> 00:11:24,079 to study and so that sample return gives 349 00:11:28,870 --> 00:11:25,519 us even better material 350 00:11:31,190 --> 00:11:28,880 to study which is really cool absolutely 351 00:11:33,110 --> 00:11:31,200 i'd like to transfer over to scott now 352 00:11:35,670 --> 00:11:33,120 if you wouldn't mind telling us 353 00:11:37,509 --> 00:11:35,680 what is it about asteroid bennu in 354 00:11:39,509 --> 00:11:37,519 particular that makes this asteroid 355 00:11:41,829 --> 00:11:39,519 interesting for studying with this 356 00:11:43,750 --> 00:11:41,839 mission and for bringing samples home 357 00:11:45,750 --> 00:11:43,760 well actually i think a number of things 358 00:11:47,750 --> 00:11:45,760 make it interesting jason going over the 359 00:11:50,470 --> 00:11:47,760 acronym makes it clear that there's 360 00:11:50,870 --> 00:11:50,480 actually different um good reasons to 361 00:11:52,949 --> 00:11:50,880 study 362 00:11:53,990 --> 00:11:52,959 this object on you know the security one 363 00:11:56,230 --> 00:11:54,000 being one 364 00:11:57,190 --> 00:11:56,240 um i since uh the three people you have 365 00:11:59,430 --> 00:11:57,200 on this panel are 366 00:12:01,030 --> 00:11:59,440 are into sample analysis i mean 367 00:12:01,829 --> 00:12:01,040 obviously one of our answers is going to 368 00:12:04,069 --> 00:12:01,839 be 369 00:12:05,430 --> 00:12:04,079 uh that we think venue will provide 370 00:12:07,590 --> 00:12:05,440 samples that will be very 371 00:12:09,350 --> 00:12:07,600 interesting to study and in particular 372 00:12:11,590 --> 00:12:09,360 we believe these samples 373 00:12:13,190 --> 00:12:11,600 are likely to contain organic compounds 374 00:12:15,269 --> 00:12:13,200 so in terms of this 375 00:12:17,670 --> 00:12:15,279 aspen astrobiologist angle i mean this 376 00:12:19,110 --> 00:12:17,680 makes that much more interesting i'm 377 00:12:20,949 --> 00:12:19,120 i would i would probably still be 378 00:12:22,310 --> 00:12:20,959 excited to study samples from an iron 379 00:12:24,629 --> 00:12:22,320 asteroid but not as 380 00:12:25,910 --> 00:12:24,639 as excited as i'll be to get samples 381 00:12:28,949 --> 00:12:25,920 from venue because we 382 00:12:30,949 --> 00:12:28,959 fully expect the venue samples to 383 00:12:32,629 --> 00:12:30,959 show a great deal of complexity in both 384 00:12:33,509 --> 00:12:32,639 the minerals and the organics and that 385 00:12:36,389 --> 00:12:33,519 these 386 00:12:38,870 --> 00:12:36,399 we ought to be able to tease out a lot 387 00:12:40,870 --> 00:12:38,880 of information about the ingredients for 388 00:12:43,110 --> 00:12:40,880 the cooking but also 389 00:12:44,069 --> 00:12:43,120 the processes that have already they've 390 00:12:48,230 --> 00:12:44,079 already experienced 391 00:12:50,629 --> 00:12:48,240 i mean since we think menu is similar to 392 00:12:52,389 --> 00:12:50,639 carbonaceous chondrites 393 00:12:54,230 --> 00:12:52,399 we have an expectation that the samples 394 00:12:57,269 --> 00:12:54,240 we bring back will show 395 00:12:59,190 --> 00:12:57,279 parts of the materials history not just 396 00:13:00,949 --> 00:12:59,200 to the life of the asteroid but back 397 00:13:02,870 --> 00:13:00,959 into the original solar nebula from 398 00:13:05,350 --> 00:13:02,880 which the asteroid formed and frankly 399 00:13:06,949 --> 00:13:05,360 we would expect there to be components 400 00:13:08,629 --> 00:13:06,959 within the return samples that actually 401 00:13:10,230 --> 00:13:08,639 predate the solar system that were 402 00:13:12,150 --> 00:13:10,240 grains that existed 403 00:13:13,990 --> 00:13:12,160 in the dense molecular cloud that 404 00:13:16,150 --> 00:13:14,000 ultimately started to have a portion 405 00:13:18,790 --> 00:13:16,160 collapse and make our solar system so 406 00:13:20,069 --> 00:13:18,800 it gives us insights to a huge range of 407 00:13:22,230 --> 00:13:20,079 the pre-history 408 00:13:23,829 --> 00:13:22,240 of the materials will be returning to 409 00:13:25,590 --> 00:13:23,839 earth 410 00:13:27,590 --> 00:13:25,600 absolutely i think a lot of people are 411 00:13:28,069 --> 00:13:27,600 unaware of things like pre-solar grains 412 00:13:29,750 --> 00:13:28,079 and 413 00:13:31,750 --> 00:13:29,760 other materials that do predate our 414 00:13:33,190 --> 00:13:31,760 solar system and when we use this term 415 00:13:33,990 --> 00:13:33,200 primitive we're talking about some of 416 00:13:36,629 --> 00:13:34,000 the earliest 417 00:13:37,110 --> 00:13:36,639 solid materials to form in our solar 418 00:13:39,750 --> 00:13:37,120 system 419 00:13:41,750 --> 00:13:39,760 yeah we know from meteorites that we 420 00:13:45,829 --> 00:13:41,760 have grains that come from supernova 421 00:13:47,829 --> 00:13:45,839 from nova from all kinds of dying stars 422 00:13:49,670 --> 00:13:47,839 we have materials that actually form 423 00:13:51,110 --> 00:13:49,680 themselves in space and the dense 424 00:13:53,110 --> 00:13:51,120 molecular clouds so we have 425 00:13:54,230 --> 00:13:53,120 astro chemistry that isn't even 426 00:13:57,030 --> 00:13:54,240 associated um 427 00:13:58,310 --> 00:13:57,040 with the star and the kind of detail you 428 00:13:59,829 --> 00:13:58,320 can get from this just kind of blows 429 00:14:01,910 --> 00:13:59,839 your mind i mean i think we know from 430 00:14:03,590 --> 00:14:01,920 the basis of like titanium isotopes and 431 00:14:05,910 --> 00:14:03,600 a certain kind of grain 432 00:14:07,829 --> 00:14:05,920 that we have materials in the solar 433 00:14:11,189 --> 00:14:07,839 system that came from at least seven 434 00:14:13,269 --> 00:14:11,199 different um stars so 435 00:14:14,870 --> 00:14:13,279 um so you can you know once you can 436 00:14:16,310 --> 00:14:14,880 start picking the atoms apart and this 437 00:14:17,990 --> 00:14:16,320 is one of the advantages of sample 438 00:14:19,670 --> 00:14:18,000 return you can 439 00:14:21,829 --> 00:14:19,680 look at things at a level of detail it's 440 00:14:23,350 --> 00:14:21,839 just kind of mind-boggling 441 00:14:24,550 --> 00:14:23,360 absolutely that's incredible i actually 442 00:14:25,030 --> 00:14:24,560 hadn't heard that number before i have 443 00:14:26,389 --> 00:14:25,040 to go 444 00:14:27,750 --> 00:14:26,399 look into that more that's that's really 445 00:14:28,470 --> 00:14:27,760 wonderful to know that we're piecing 446 00:14:29,990 --> 00:14:28,480 together 447 00:14:32,069 --> 00:14:30,000 our solar system's history from these 448 00:14:32,949 --> 00:14:32,079 materials as well the birth of our solar 449 00:14:35,829 --> 00:14:32,959 system 450 00:14:37,350 --> 00:14:35,839 uh jason if i can kick it to you now um 451 00:14:39,829 --> 00:14:37,360 you know with this a really incredible 452 00:14:41,910 --> 00:14:39,839 mission getting osiris-rex to bennu 453 00:14:43,189 --> 00:14:41,920 all the research we've done already i 454 00:14:44,949 --> 00:14:43,199 wonder if you could speak though a bit 455 00:14:46,550 --> 00:14:44,959 about this process now of getting the 456 00:14:47,990 --> 00:14:46,560 sample back to earth 457 00:14:50,310 --> 00:14:48,000 what's going to happen what is the 458 00:14:51,430 --> 00:14:50,320 process for you as researchers to get 459 00:14:53,350 --> 00:14:51,440 your hands 460 00:14:54,870 --> 00:14:53,360 on sample material and like how does it 461 00:14:56,389 --> 00:14:54,880 go down the line of who gets who gets 462 00:14:58,230 --> 00:14:56,399 this material to work on and 463 00:15:00,230 --> 00:14:58,240 what what what key objectives get get 464 00:15:01,829 --> 00:15:00,240 addressed first basically i guess is my 465 00:15:05,430 --> 00:15:01,839 question 466 00:15:06,629 --> 00:15:05,440 so on um uh may 10th the spacecraft did 467 00:15:08,629 --> 00:15:06,639 a departure burn 468 00:15:10,949 --> 00:15:08,639 to leave the proximity of bennu and 469 00:15:12,949 --> 00:15:10,959 began its long journey back to earth 470 00:15:14,629 --> 00:15:12,959 takes a long time because it's a low 471 00:15:17,030 --> 00:15:14,639 energy trajectory so we've gotta 472 00:15:19,030 --> 00:15:17,040 obey gravitational forces and orbit the 473 00:15:21,590 --> 00:15:19,040 sun twice to make it to earth 474 00:15:22,949 --> 00:15:21,600 uh four hours before the spacecraft 475 00:15:25,509 --> 00:15:22,959 comes 476 00:15:27,269 --> 00:15:25,519 would come to earth it ejects the sample 477 00:15:30,710 --> 00:15:27,279 return canada that's the uh 478 00:15:32,790 --> 00:15:30,720 about this about this big um uh 479 00:15:34,230 --> 00:15:32,800 quite huggable device as scott likes to 480 00:15:35,990 --> 00:15:34,240 describe it 481 00:15:38,870 --> 00:15:36,000 that holds the sample and then that 482 00:15:40,949 --> 00:15:38,880 spins uh to keep it in a straight path 483 00:15:42,949 --> 00:15:40,959 descends into the atmosphere at the same 484 00:15:43,590 --> 00:15:42,959 time the spacecraft doesn't revert burn 485 00:15:47,269 --> 00:15:43,600 to leave 486 00:15:50,629 --> 00:15:47,279 earth and so it can be used for whatever 487 00:15:53,829 --> 00:15:50,639 nasa chooses to use it for the space the 488 00:15:54,949 --> 00:15:53,839 temperature capsule employs a drove 489 00:15:58,150 --> 00:15:54,959 shooting a parachute 490 00:16:00,310 --> 00:15:58,160 and lands the test and training range uh 491 00:16:02,230 --> 00:16:00,320 outside salt lake city on uh uh 492 00:16:04,150 --> 00:16:02,240 september 24th 2023 493 00:16:06,470 --> 00:16:04,160 a little bit before nine in the morning 494 00:16:08,790 --> 00:16:06,480 uh the location is mostly dependent on 495 00:16:11,030 --> 00:16:08,800 the winds and weather of that day 496 00:16:11,910 --> 00:16:11,040 because the uh orbital mechanics are so 497 00:16:14,870 --> 00:16:11,920 well understood 498 00:16:15,509 --> 00:16:14,880 it's really remarkable uh the the sample 499 00:16:17,829 --> 00:16:15,519 canister 500 00:16:19,430 --> 00:16:17,839 is the src is picked up put under 501 00:16:22,550 --> 00:16:19,440 nitrogen purge 502 00:16:25,590 --> 00:16:22,560 and the simple return canister is 503 00:16:26,949 --> 00:16:25,600 partly disassembled in utah uh removing 504 00:16:27,749 --> 00:16:26,959 the batteries and the pyro things of 505 00:16:30,470 --> 00:16:27,759 that sort 506 00:16:31,189 --> 00:16:30,480 and all transported to uh to eve's 507 00:16:34,150 --> 00:16:31,199 building 508 00:16:36,069 --> 00:16:34,160 at johnson space center in houston where 509 00:16:39,509 --> 00:16:36,079 the very next day it's opened up 510 00:16:41,430 --> 00:16:39,519 and uh the uh curators begin 511 00:16:43,269 --> 00:16:41,440 cataloging uh the material that's 512 00:16:45,189 --> 00:16:43,279 present weighing as we actually know how 513 00:16:48,629 --> 00:16:45,199 much we we really got 514 00:16:52,069 --> 00:16:48,639 um pulling apart uh material for 515 00:16:55,189 --> 00:16:52,079 our japanese and canadian 516 00:16:57,749 --> 00:16:55,199 partners so that they get their sample 517 00:16:59,590 --> 00:16:57,759 and the sample team will begin begin 518 00:17:01,110 --> 00:16:59,600 their analysis to test our over 50 519 00:17:04,150 --> 00:17:01,120 different hypotheses 520 00:17:07,189 --> 00:17:04,160 about uh the original solar system 521 00:17:08,309 --> 00:17:07,199 uh what uh all the way up to what the 522 00:17:11,669 --> 00:17:08,319 spacecraft did 523 00:17:13,750 --> 00:17:11,679 to bennu and vice versa um 524 00:17:15,270 --> 00:17:13,760 to prepare for this we we will be doing 525 00:17:18,309 --> 00:17:15,280 rehearsals starting 526 00:17:20,069 --> 00:17:18,319 uh next summer uh to make sure that 527 00:17:21,590 --> 00:17:20,079 our all of our laboratories are in 528 00:17:24,710 --> 00:17:21,600 tip-top shape 529 00:17:25,110 --> 00:17:24,720 and that we have uh uh executed all of 530 00:17:31,590 --> 00:17:25,120 our 531 00:17:33,110 --> 00:17:31,600 sharing uh from labs lab to make sure 532 00:17:34,950 --> 00:17:33,120 that we work out all the kinks 533 00:17:38,710 --> 00:17:34,960 before the precious sample from bennu 534 00:17:40,070 --> 00:17:38,720 comes so that we're 100 ready 535 00:17:42,710 --> 00:17:40,080 that's awesome i know in a video 536 00:17:44,789 --> 00:17:42,720 produced by nasa astrobiology last year 537 00:17:45,909 --> 00:17:44,799 you said that 60 grams which is roughly 538 00:17:46,390 --> 00:17:45,919 the amount of sample we're bringing back 539 00:17:48,630 --> 00:17:46,400 that 540 00:17:49,430 --> 00:17:48,640 60 grams is a bounty of a sample could 541 00:17:51,990 --> 00:17:49,440 you speak to why 542 00:17:54,549 --> 00:17:52,000 why you why you said that so well first 543 00:17:57,029 --> 00:17:54,559 of all 60 grams is our requirement 544 00:17:57,669 --> 00:17:57,039 uh you should remember the sample return 545 00:18:00,070 --> 00:17:57,679 the 546 00:18:01,510 --> 00:18:00,080 sample collection device uh when we did 547 00:18:04,630 --> 00:18:01,520 the tag in october 548 00:18:06,150 --> 00:18:04,640 was literally overflowing with material 549 00:18:08,070 --> 00:18:06,160 so much so that we couldn't actually 550 00:18:09,990 --> 00:18:08,080 weigh it in space in our our spin 551 00:18:12,150 --> 00:18:10,000 maneuver that we had planned 552 00:18:13,909 --> 00:18:12,160 uh so there's no way to know exactly how 553 00:18:15,270 --> 00:18:13,919 much we have it's well more than 60 554 00:18:18,870 --> 00:18:15,280 grams 555 00:18:20,470 --> 00:18:18,880 saw stuff leaking out so we won't really 556 00:18:23,590 --> 00:18:20,480 know until we get back to earth 557 00:18:26,150 --> 00:18:23,600 but um as scott described 558 00:18:27,270 --> 00:18:26,160 you can dissect atom by atom and get a 559 00:18:30,070 --> 00:18:27,280 lot of information 560 00:18:31,430 --> 00:18:30,080 from a single tiny grain and that that 561 00:18:32,230 --> 00:18:31,440 gives you information about that one 562 00:18:33,750 --> 00:18:32,240 grain but 563 00:18:35,350 --> 00:18:33,760 there's a diversity of materials there's 564 00:18:37,990 --> 00:18:35,360 at least two lithologies 565 00:18:38,870 --> 00:18:38,000 we've detected from our spectrometers on 566 00:18:41,350 --> 00:18:38,880 bennu 567 00:18:42,310 --> 00:18:41,360 in addition uh you can the more mature 568 00:18:44,549 --> 00:18:42,320 you have 569 00:18:45,830 --> 00:18:44,559 the more subtle tests you can do you can 570 00:18:50,310 --> 00:18:45,840 look for 571 00:18:51,909 --> 00:18:50,320 uh uh remarkably uh uh rare species 572 00:18:53,590 --> 00:18:51,919 and get even more information you can 573 00:18:55,270 --> 00:18:53,600 with with big ones 574 00:18:57,830 --> 00:18:55,280 so like i'm interested in amino acids 575 00:19:00,310 --> 00:18:57,840 just like eve is but we can look for the 576 00:19:01,029 --> 00:19:00,320 really rare amino acids observe the 577 00:19:03,510 --> 00:19:01,039 chirality 578 00:19:05,110 --> 00:19:03,520 observe the isotopic ratios of each 579 00:19:07,110 --> 00:19:05,120 different compound 580 00:19:09,669 --> 00:19:07,120 and look at the precursors so more 581 00:19:12,710 --> 00:19:09,679 sample means means more analyses 582 00:19:15,110 --> 00:19:12,720 but the most um i know i'm 583 00:19:17,430 --> 00:19:15,120 talking too much but the uh this is the 584 00:19:20,870 --> 00:19:17,440 part that excites me the absolute most 585 00:19:24,630 --> 00:19:20,880 is that 75 of the sample or so 586 00:19:28,150 --> 00:19:24,640 is archived for the future and so 587 00:19:30,549 --> 00:19:28,160 um once we have this catalog it'll be 588 00:19:31,830 --> 00:19:30,559 released and people can propose to look 589 00:19:34,870 --> 00:19:31,840 at that sample 590 00:19:36,549 --> 00:19:34,880 so members of your audience or their 591 00:19:39,190 --> 00:19:36,559 children or grandchildren or people not 592 00:19:42,150 --> 00:19:39,200 yet born can request samples 593 00:19:43,029 --> 00:19:42,160 to analyze them with instruments not yet 594 00:19:44,630 --> 00:19:43,039 invented to ask 595 00:19:46,390 --> 00:19:44,640 questions we don't know how to phrase 596 00:19:48,549 --> 00:19:46,400 now so it 597 00:19:49,750 --> 00:19:48,559 self-returned just like apollo and all 598 00:19:51,590 --> 00:19:49,760 these other things 599 00:19:53,750 --> 00:19:51,600 are the the gift that keeps on giving 600 00:19:55,750 --> 00:19:53,760 for literally generations 601 00:19:56,950 --> 00:19:55,760 uh i i love that part too and actually i 602 00:19:58,390 --> 00:19:56,960 wonder if you could speak to that for us 603 00:20:00,390 --> 00:19:58,400 for a moment as well 604 00:20:02,630 --> 00:20:00,400 um you know i know that you joined the 605 00:20:04,149 --> 00:20:02,640 osiris-rex team fairly recently 606 00:20:05,750 --> 00:20:04,159 uh and i think some sometimes you know 607 00:20:07,669 --> 00:20:05,760 some of our younger members maybe 608 00:20:09,430 --> 00:20:07,679 undergraduate students are unaware 609 00:20:11,270 --> 00:20:09,440 what it's like to be a scientist to have 610 00:20:12,630 --> 00:20:11,280 a chance to join these teams 611 00:20:13,909 --> 00:20:12,640 and you don't actually have to be there 612 00:20:14,630 --> 00:20:13,919 at the very beginning you can kind of 613 00:20:16,390 --> 00:20:14,640 join 614 00:20:18,149 --> 00:20:16,400 at certain periods and then you can also 615 00:20:19,430 --> 00:20:18,159 look to the future like jason just 616 00:20:21,110 --> 00:20:19,440 mentioned with future generations 617 00:20:22,390 --> 00:20:21,120 working on these samples 618 00:20:24,149 --> 00:20:22,400 i wonder if you could speak to what it's 619 00:20:25,750 --> 00:20:24,159 like to be a researcher who's now 620 00:20:27,590 --> 00:20:25,760 joining osiris-rex 621 00:20:29,029 --> 00:20:27,600 and looking forward to those samples and 622 00:20:32,230 --> 00:20:29,039 what kinds of work you see 623 00:20:34,070 --> 00:20:32,240 down the road as well sure um so i will 624 00:20:35,830 --> 00:20:34,080 say just being given the opportunity 625 00:20:37,590 --> 00:20:35,840 to join the team as a collaborator is 626 00:20:40,710 --> 00:20:37,600 just so exciting i 627 00:20:42,310 --> 00:20:40,720 i'm just i'm really excited i was 628 00:20:44,230 --> 00:20:42,320 at university of arizona when you're 629 00:20:46,149 --> 00:20:44,240 writing the proposal so you know 10 630 00:20:46,950 --> 00:20:46,159 years later to be a part of it it's just 631 00:20:49,430 --> 00:20:46,960 amazing 632 00:20:51,510 --> 00:20:49,440 um it's also really overwhelming because 633 00:20:52,710 --> 00:20:51,520 the wealth of data that has come out of 634 00:20:55,909 --> 00:20:52,720 the mission so far 635 00:20:56,470 --> 00:20:55,919 is incredible so trying to catch up and 636 00:20:58,149 --> 00:20:56,480 sort of 637 00:20:59,669 --> 00:20:58,159 be on top of where things are i'm still 638 00:21:02,149 --> 00:20:59,679 working on that part of it 639 00:21:03,270 --> 00:21:02,159 um but i'm just going to add something 640 00:21:06,870 --> 00:21:03,280 to what jason said 641 00:21:08,950 --> 00:21:06,880 um it really is very small like if you 642 00:21:10,710 --> 00:21:08,960 look for something specific if you find 643 00:21:11,750 --> 00:21:10,720 a mineral that tells you something you 644 00:21:14,830 --> 00:21:11,760 don't need a lot of it 645 00:21:17,270 --> 00:21:14,840 to give you an answer um so i wrote my 646 00:21:20,070 --> 00:21:17,280 dissertation based 647 00:21:22,149 --> 00:21:20,080 mainly on a 200 nanometer grain that 648 00:21:24,549 --> 00:21:22,159 that village 2 returned that had 649 00:21:26,630 --> 00:21:24,559 some really cool properties you know 650 00:21:28,310 --> 00:21:26,640 where it changes form at a particular 651 00:21:30,230 --> 00:21:28,320 temperature and doesn't go back 652 00:21:32,070 --> 00:21:30,240 and it tells us something about aqueous 653 00:21:33,669 --> 00:21:32,080 alteration and so 654 00:21:35,750 --> 00:21:33,679 i was able to write an entire 655 00:21:37,430 --> 00:21:35,760 dissertation positing what i thought 656 00:21:39,029 --> 00:21:37,440 might have happened to that grain in the 657 00:21:42,470 --> 00:21:39,039 history of its life 658 00:21:45,590 --> 00:21:42,480 um from start to finish you know across 659 00:21:47,430 --> 00:21:45,600 millions of years and to be able to do 660 00:21:49,270 --> 00:21:47,440 that from a tiny brain is amazing and 661 00:21:49,830 --> 00:21:49,280 people often ask me well what if you're 662 00:21:52,149 --> 00:21:49,840 wrong 663 00:21:53,750 --> 00:21:52,159 and i say that's great if somebody goes 664 00:21:56,870 --> 00:21:53,760 back if something that i do 665 00:21:58,789 --> 00:21:56,880 on an o-rex sample inspires someone 10 666 00:22:01,029 --> 00:21:58,799 years from now to say 667 00:22:02,549 --> 00:22:01,039 yeah eve that was a really nice idea but 668 00:22:04,789 --> 00:22:02,559 i'm not entirely sure 669 00:22:06,070 --> 00:22:04,799 because today we can measure x y and z 670 00:22:07,590 --> 00:22:06,080 that you couldn't measure 671 00:22:09,909 --> 00:22:07,600 and they go back and look at the clean 672 00:22:11,350 --> 00:22:09,919 sample or something similar 673 00:22:13,110 --> 00:22:11,360 that just forwards the research i mean 674 00:22:16,549 --> 00:22:13,120 that's what science is all about 675 00:22:18,310 --> 00:22:16,559 making hypotheses about science and the 676 00:22:20,070 --> 00:22:18,320 history of our universe based on the 677 00:22:22,549 --> 00:22:20,080 available information that you have 678 00:22:23,669 --> 00:22:22,559 and so seeing that move forward and 679 00:22:27,110 --> 00:22:23,679 these samples 680 00:22:29,190 --> 00:22:27,120 coming back to be able to measure um 681 00:22:31,510 --> 00:22:29,200 amino acid abundances and jason 682 00:22:33,270 --> 00:22:31,520 mentioned chirality a minute ago 683 00:22:35,270 --> 00:22:33,280 so for folks who are watching that maybe 684 00:22:37,909 --> 00:22:35,280 aren't familiar with that term 685 00:22:39,909 --> 00:22:37,919 uh chiral molecules are ones that are 686 00:22:41,590 --> 00:22:39,919 mirror images of one another so sort of 687 00:22:42,630 --> 00:22:41,600 like your hands your left and right 688 00:22:44,470 --> 00:22:42,640 hands 689 00:22:46,070 --> 00:22:44,480 mirror image but no matter what you do 690 00:22:49,110 --> 00:22:46,080 you can't superimpose them 691 00:22:51,270 --> 00:22:49,120 on one another identically and so 692 00:22:53,750 --> 00:22:51,280 meteorites derivative amino acids in 693 00:22:54,230 --> 00:22:53,760 both right-handed and left-handed forms 694 00:22:56,070 --> 00:22:54,240 in fact 695 00:22:57,590 --> 00:22:56,080 most of the meteorites come back we see 696 00:22:59,510 --> 00:22:57,600 racemic mixtures 697 00:23:00,789 --> 00:22:59,520 which means equal amounts of right and 698 00:23:03,750 --> 00:23:00,799 left-handedness 699 00:23:05,430 --> 00:23:03,760 but life only uses left-handed so going 700 00:23:06,549 --> 00:23:05,440 back to my research that's sort of what 701 00:23:10,070 --> 00:23:06,559 inspires me how to 702 00:23:12,310 --> 00:23:10,080 go from equal amounts to just this one 703 00:23:14,950 --> 00:23:12,320 uh in life and so 704 00:23:16,950 --> 00:23:14,960 these worry about contamination right 705 00:23:18,710 --> 00:23:16,960 because we have amino acids on earth but 706 00:23:19,669 --> 00:23:18,720 these samples we don't have to worry 707 00:23:21,750 --> 00:23:19,679 about that so 708 00:23:23,909 --> 00:23:21,760 really just again ground truth data 709 00:23:25,430 --> 00:23:23,919 point for us 710 00:23:27,510 --> 00:23:25,440 that's awesome and there's so much about 711 00:23:29,110 --> 00:23:27,520 characterizing life and understanding 712 00:23:30,549 --> 00:23:29,120 what life is as we know it and as it 713 00:23:31,909 --> 00:23:30,559 might be elsewhere and so 714 00:23:33,909 --> 00:23:31,919 those are really important things i 715 00:23:35,750 --> 00:23:33,919 think for us to talk about 716 00:23:37,510 --> 00:23:35,760 i have so many more questions but i've 717 00:23:38,710 --> 00:23:37,520 realized that i also want to get to our 718 00:23:39,909 --> 00:23:38,720 audience questions we have a bunch 719 00:23:41,510 --> 00:23:39,919 pouring in right now and 720 00:23:43,029 --> 00:23:41,520 for those watching please remember to 721 00:23:44,230 --> 00:23:43,039 ask your questions in the chat on 722 00:23:46,230 --> 00:23:44,240 sagatnet or 723 00:23:47,430 --> 00:23:46,240 on facebook on the nasa astrobiology 724 00:23:48,630 --> 00:23:47,440 facebook page 725 00:23:50,310 --> 00:23:48,640 we'll try our best to get through as 726 00:23:51,830 --> 00:23:50,320 many as we can but i see there's a bunch 727 00:23:53,190 --> 00:23:51,840 pouring in already 728 00:23:54,549 --> 00:23:53,200 i'd like to ask at least one more 729 00:23:55,990 --> 00:23:54,559 question of my own for each of you and 730 00:23:56,950 --> 00:23:56,000 then i'll try to get into the audience 731 00:23:59,350 --> 00:23:56,960 questions 732 00:24:01,669 --> 00:23:59,360 um scott starting off with you to change 733 00:24:03,190 --> 00:24:01,679 things a little bit from osiris-rex 734 00:24:05,430 --> 00:24:03,200 uh you've done a lot of work in your 735 00:24:07,110 --> 00:24:05,440 career not just in sample return 736 00:24:09,029 --> 00:24:07,120 and in studying things like in the 737 00:24:11,430 --> 00:24:09,039 interstellar medium 738 00:24:12,950 --> 00:24:11,440 but also in meteoritics and i understand 739 00:24:13,750 --> 00:24:12,960 that you've traveled to antarctica and 740 00:24:16,310 --> 00:24:13,760 have collected 741 00:24:17,110 --> 00:24:16,320 a large number of meteorites and i read 742 00:24:19,110 --> 00:24:17,120 in your bio 743 00:24:22,230 --> 00:24:19,120 that you collected the allen hills 744 00:24:23,510 --> 00:24:22,240 meteorite at alh 84001 745 00:24:25,830 --> 00:24:23,520 i'm wondering if you could just speak to 746 00:24:27,430 --> 00:24:25,840 us about how well the experience 747 00:24:29,669 --> 00:24:27,440 of being in antarctica and picking up 748 00:24:31,830 --> 00:24:29,679 those rocks and let alone the one of one 749 00:24:33,669 --> 00:24:31,840 of the most interesting ones of all time 750 00:24:34,070 --> 00:24:33,679 well let me begin by just correcting one 751 00:24:37,190 --> 00:24:34,080 thing 752 00:24:38,630 --> 00:24:37,200 um with very few exceptions i never say 753 00:24:40,390 --> 00:24:38,640 i found a meteorite because there's a 754 00:24:41,029 --> 00:24:40,400 team down there and we work together 755 00:24:42,149 --> 00:24:41,039 it's i mean 756 00:24:44,230 --> 00:24:42,159 you have to work together just to 757 00:24:47,029 --> 00:24:44,240 survive much less find meteorites and so 758 00:24:48,310 --> 00:24:47,039 i was on the team that found the uh the 759 00:24:50,630 --> 00:24:48,320 martian meteorite 760 00:24:51,909 --> 00:24:50,640 uh there is one meteorite i say i found 761 00:24:53,190 --> 00:24:51,919 because i had to fight the rest of the 762 00:24:53,590 --> 00:24:53,200 team to bring it back and that was 763 00:24:55,110 --> 00:24:53,600 actually 764 00:24:56,950 --> 00:24:55,120 ended up being a large sample of the 765 00:24:58,230 --> 00:24:56,960 moon but um anyways 766 00:25:00,310 --> 00:24:58,240 yeah i've been down i've been fortunate 767 00:25:01,750 --> 00:25:00,320 to go down three times uh 768 00:25:04,310 --> 00:25:01,760 there's a program called anzmet 769 00:25:07,510 --> 00:25:04,320 antarctic search for meteorites which 770 00:25:09,190 --> 00:25:07,520 nasa is one of the partners on and they 771 00:25:11,510 --> 00:25:09,200 try to send a team down to antarctica 772 00:25:13,430 --> 00:25:11,520 every hospital summer 773 00:25:14,710 --> 00:25:13,440 that then goes into a remote field site 774 00:25:18,149 --> 00:25:14,720 they live in tents for 775 00:25:20,310 --> 00:25:18,159 roughly six weeks or so and search 776 00:25:21,669 --> 00:25:20,320 bare ice patches for meteorites and i 777 00:25:23,110 --> 00:25:21,679 won't go into all the details but there 778 00:25:24,470 --> 00:25:23,120 are a number of reasons why antarctica 779 00:25:25,990 --> 00:25:24,480 is a really good place to find 780 00:25:28,630 --> 00:25:26,000 meteorites um 781 00:25:29,350 --> 00:25:28,640 they they're frozen in so they last a 782 00:25:30,710 --> 00:25:29,360 long time 783 00:25:33,909 --> 00:25:30,720 you don't have to be very bright to 784 00:25:35,830 --> 00:25:33,919 recognize a black rock on blue ice uh so 785 00:25:37,350 --> 00:25:35,840 training is minimalistic um so the 786 00:25:39,430 --> 00:25:37,360 biggest problem is just the logistics of 787 00:25:41,990 --> 00:25:39,440 getting in and surviving 788 00:25:43,269 --> 00:25:42,000 um and this program has brought back uh 789 00:25:44,310 --> 00:25:43,279 you know literally thousands of 790 00:25:46,070 --> 00:25:44,320 meteorites 791 00:25:48,549 --> 00:25:46,080 to the scientific community and these 792 00:25:51,430 --> 00:25:48,559 are curated in much the same way 793 00:25:52,950 --> 00:25:51,440 uh the osiris-rex stamps samples will be 794 00:25:55,029 --> 00:25:52,960 curated that 795 00:25:56,390 --> 00:25:55,039 uh they're cataloged and a certain 796 00:25:57,590 --> 00:25:56,400 amount of minimal work is done to make 797 00:25:59,510 --> 00:25:57,600 sure we understand what kind of a 798 00:26:01,510 --> 00:25:59,520 meteorite it is and then they're 799 00:26:03,350 --> 00:26:01,520 posted as available for people to 800 00:26:05,669 --> 00:26:03,360 request and study so they become a 801 00:26:08,149 --> 00:26:05,679 resource for the entire world's 802 00:26:09,830 --> 00:26:08,159 scientific community so when you go down 803 00:26:11,190 --> 00:26:09,840 on the antarctic expeditions it's it's 804 00:26:12,870 --> 00:26:11,200 kind of an adventure and you find the 805 00:26:13,750 --> 00:26:12,880 meteorites you don't do any much of the 806 00:26:16,549 --> 00:26:13,760 science 807 00:26:18,310 --> 00:26:16,559 with trying to figure out why the 808 00:26:21,190 --> 00:26:18,320 meteorites ended up where you found them 809 00:26:22,870 --> 00:26:21,200 but um but they become available to 810 00:26:24,630 --> 00:26:22,880 everyone else so it's a really important 811 00:26:28,149 --> 00:26:24,640 community service that gets 812 00:26:31,269 --> 00:26:28,159 done most years and provides us with an 813 00:26:32,950 --> 00:26:31,279 enormous scientific resource 814 00:26:34,230 --> 00:26:32,960 yeah that's incredible i know a large 815 00:26:34,789 --> 00:26:34,240 number of our meteorites have come from 816 00:26:36,630 --> 00:26:34,799 anzmed 817 00:26:38,070 --> 00:26:36,640 and i'd love to go down sometime i think 818 00:26:39,990 --> 00:26:38,080 it sounds really cool to be involved 819 00:26:41,110 --> 00:26:40,000 in these missions to collect so many 820 00:26:43,510 --> 00:26:41,120 samples 821 00:26:45,190 --> 00:26:43,520 i would go again in a shot if i if i had 822 00:26:46,070 --> 00:26:45,200 an opportunity it's a lot of fun it's 823 00:26:48,149 --> 00:26:46,080 hard work too 824 00:26:49,190 --> 00:26:48,159 um they're very long days and you're 825 00:26:52,230 --> 00:26:49,200 never warm but 826 00:26:53,830 --> 00:26:52,240 um but it's pretty cool that's awesome 827 00:26:55,029 --> 00:26:53,840 um i love that so much you're making me 828 00:26:58,149 --> 00:26:55,039 super jealous 829 00:26:59,750 --> 00:26:58,159 um i do want to ask jason as well uh 830 00:27:02,390 --> 00:26:59,760 outside of osiris-rex you've done a lot 831 00:27:04,470 --> 00:27:02,400 of work on organic chemistry kind of 832 00:27:05,669 --> 00:27:04,480 the the inventory of organic molecules 833 00:27:08,230 --> 00:27:05,679 that could be important 834 00:27:09,750 --> 00:27:08,240 for origins for their origin of life or 835 00:27:11,510 --> 00:27:09,760 for things here on earth i wonder if you 836 00:27:12,549 --> 00:27:11,520 could speak to our audience about the 837 00:27:14,789 --> 00:27:12,559 importance 838 00:27:17,990 --> 00:27:14,799 of understanding cometary and asteroidal 839 00:27:20,230 --> 00:27:18,000 materials when it comes to origins 840 00:27:21,590 --> 00:27:20,240 yes so i actually started out my 841 00:27:23,830 --> 00:27:21,600 research career studying 842 00:27:24,950 --> 00:27:23,840 traditional origins of life chemistry uh 843 00:27:27,510 --> 00:27:24,960 prebiotic uh 844 00:27:29,669 --> 00:27:27,520 earlier simulations and then i actually 845 00:27:32,149 --> 00:27:29,679 was a postdoc for scott 846 00:27:33,029 --> 00:27:32,159 at ames where we were studying ices and 847 00:27:35,830 --> 00:27:33,039 that was a 848 00:27:36,950 --> 00:27:35,840 further restriction of of the of the 849 00:27:40,149 --> 00:27:36,960 phase space 850 00:27:41,669 --> 00:27:40,159 instead of studying uh things based on 851 00:27:43,110 --> 00:27:41,679 the models we have the early earth which 852 00:27:44,710 --> 00:27:43,120 are not very well constrained they're 853 00:27:46,470 --> 00:27:44,720 based on the models we have of the 854 00:27:49,269 --> 00:27:46,480 interstellar medium which constrained by 855 00:27:51,909 --> 00:27:49,279 telescopic observations then i had the 856 00:27:53,190 --> 00:27:51,919 opportunity to to get hired at goddard 857 00:27:55,510 --> 00:27:53,200 and start a laboratory studying 858 00:27:57,190 --> 00:27:55,520 meteorites uh which are even more 859 00:27:59,750 --> 00:27:57,200 constrained because these are actually 860 00:28:00,870 --> 00:27:59,760 samples that were in space and you can 861 00:28:02,870 --> 00:28:00,880 look at close up 862 00:28:04,630 --> 00:28:02,880 and then of course srx is the natural 863 00:28:05,669 --> 00:28:04,640 extension of that from a specific 864 00:28:08,389 --> 00:28:05,679 asteroid 865 00:28:10,870 --> 00:28:08,399 and so uh my strategy is to look for 866 00:28:13,909 --> 00:28:10,880 compounds of interest to 867 00:28:17,750 --> 00:28:13,919 uh prebiotic chemistry like amino acids 868 00:28:19,909 --> 00:28:17,760 cyanide um amines 869 00:28:20,950 --> 00:28:19,919 things of that sort but what i'd like to 870 00:28:22,630 --> 00:28:20,960 do is instead of doing 871 00:28:24,389 --> 00:28:22,640 an inventory of every single amino acid 872 00:28:26,549 --> 00:28:24,399 we can get in a meteorite i like to 873 00:28:27,909 --> 00:28:26,559 focus on a suite of them and look at 874 00:28:29,110 --> 00:28:27,919 them across different kinds of 875 00:28:31,830 --> 00:28:29,120 meteorites 876 00:28:32,470 --> 00:28:31,840 to understand uh instead of just making 877 00:28:34,310 --> 00:28:32,480 a menu 878 00:28:36,310 --> 00:28:34,320 trying to understand that the cosmo 879 00:28:38,310 --> 00:28:36,320 chemistry of that was happening 880 00:28:40,310 --> 00:28:38,320 uh that could have influenced the origin 881 00:28:42,830 --> 00:28:40,320 of life on earth or 882 00:28:45,029 --> 00:28:42,840 mars europa enceladus your favorite 883 00:28:46,950 --> 00:28:45,039 object that's awesome yeah and 884 00:28:48,230 --> 00:28:46,960 i think a lot of us in the audience have 885 00:28:49,590 --> 00:28:48,240 their own favorite objects throughout 886 00:28:50,950 --> 00:28:49,600 the solar system to talk about for 887 00:28:53,430 --> 00:28:50,960 astrobiology so 888 00:28:55,830 --> 00:28:53,440 i'm glad you mentioned that um eve if i 889 00:28:56,870 --> 00:28:55,840 may also kind of outside of osiris-rex 890 00:28:58,950 --> 00:28:56,880 you've done a lot of work in 891 00:29:01,269 --> 00:28:58,960 instrumentation and understanding 892 00:29:03,110 --> 00:29:01,279 um you know these sources the evolution 893 00:29:05,110 --> 00:29:03,120 changes and amino acids but you've 894 00:29:06,789 --> 00:29:05,120 you've done a lot in kind of modeling 895 00:29:07,510 --> 00:29:06,799 these impact processes and how they 896 00:29:09,669 --> 00:29:07,520 affect 897 00:29:11,590 --> 00:29:09,679 organics specifically amino acids and 898 00:29:13,269 --> 00:29:11,600 that's also relevant for life 899 00:29:14,950 --> 00:29:13,279 i'm wondering for our audience if you 900 00:29:15,350 --> 00:29:14,960 could just give kind of your vision of 901 00:29:17,269 --> 00:29:15,360 the 902 00:29:18,710 --> 00:29:17,279 importance of understanding impact 903 00:29:21,029 --> 00:29:18,720 processes 904 00:29:23,510 --> 00:29:21,039 for the origins and evolution of life on 905 00:29:26,789 --> 00:29:23,520 earth and maybe even elsewhere 906 00:29:28,710 --> 00:29:26,799 sure so the hypothesis that we were 907 00:29:30,549 --> 00:29:28,720 working with was 908 00:29:32,149 --> 00:29:30,559 we know that there are amino acids in 909 00:29:33,669 --> 00:29:32,159 meteorites and in asteroids and they're 910 00:29:36,470 --> 00:29:33,679 being delivered to multiple 911 00:29:38,389 --> 00:29:36,480 planetary bodies not just earth and we 912 00:29:38,870 --> 00:29:38,399 also know that there has to be an energy 913 00:29:41,909 --> 00:29:38,880 source 914 00:29:44,230 --> 00:29:41,919 in order to give them what they need to 915 00:29:45,190 --> 00:29:44,240 polymerize so we go from amino acid to 916 00:29:48,149 --> 00:29:45,200 peptides 917 00:29:50,149 --> 00:29:48,159 to protein to dna and rna which 918 00:29:52,310 --> 00:29:50,159 eventually leads to life and i 919 00:29:53,990 --> 00:29:52,320 i really am really interested in that 920 00:29:56,789 --> 00:29:54,000 part of astrobiology too although 921 00:29:57,750 --> 00:29:56,799 i'm definitely an amateur i just watched 922 00:30:00,549 --> 00:29:57,760 that happen 923 00:30:01,750 --> 00:30:00,559 but we had there haven't been a lot of 924 00:30:05,029 --> 00:30:01,760 experiments done 925 00:30:07,830 --> 00:30:05,039 looking at uh systematically across 926 00:30:09,110 --> 00:30:07,840 different sizes of amino acids or 927 00:30:11,990 --> 00:30:09,120 different handedness 928 00:30:12,789 --> 00:30:12,000 of amino acids so we were trying to fill 929 00:30:14,789 --> 00:30:12,799 that gap 930 00:30:16,149 --> 00:30:14,799 and we've been a little bit derailed by 931 00:30:18,230 --> 00:30:16,159 the pandemic but 932 00:30:20,070 --> 00:30:18,240 i do have some samples that we've run 933 00:30:22,149 --> 00:30:20,080 but haven't analyzed yet using mass 934 00:30:24,389 --> 00:30:22,159 spectrometry and when we get back in the 935 00:30:27,669 --> 00:30:24,399 lab hopefully soon we'll be 936 00:30:29,510 --> 00:30:27,679 doing impacts and at johnson space 937 00:30:32,950 --> 00:30:29,520 center we have an experimental impact 938 00:30:34,950 --> 00:30:32,960 lab that allows us to simulate 939 00:30:36,710 --> 00:30:34,960 a specific shock pressure so that's a 940 00:30:39,430 --> 00:30:36,720 flat plate accelerator 941 00:30:41,590 --> 00:30:39,440 and then we also have two impact 942 00:30:44,630 --> 00:30:41,600 apparatuses that 943 00:30:46,549 --> 00:30:44,640 simulate a more open so 944 00:30:48,310 --> 00:30:46,559 instead of having our sample encased 945 00:30:50,549 --> 00:30:48,320 inside of stainless steel 946 00:30:51,510 --> 00:30:50,559 it's a more open container so it's more 947 00:30:53,510 --> 00:30:51,520 natural so 948 00:30:55,110 --> 00:30:53,520 our impactor hits and we have ejecta 949 00:30:57,909 --> 00:30:55,120 coming out and we have a 950 00:30:59,350 --> 00:30:57,919 range of pressures over which those uh 951 00:31:01,909 --> 00:30:59,360 organics that we've put into our 952 00:31:03,990 --> 00:31:01,919 starting material are exposed and then 953 00:31:04,950 --> 00:31:04,000 we take those and and we look and see 954 00:31:07,350 --> 00:31:04,960 what we've gotten 955 00:31:09,029 --> 00:31:07,360 uh you know and compared to what we 956 00:31:11,750 --> 00:31:09,039 started with and so 957 00:31:13,350 --> 00:31:11,760 i guess for me i've always enjoyed 958 00:31:15,029 --> 00:31:13,360 looking at a sample 959 00:31:17,750 --> 00:31:15,039 a meteoritic sample or something brought 960 00:31:19,750 --> 00:31:17,760 back by orex or from build two 961 00:31:21,830 --> 00:31:19,760 and then also trying to simulate that in 962 00:31:23,990 --> 00:31:21,840 the lab so doing experiments 963 00:31:24,870 --> 00:31:24,000 and then also sort of the third leg of 964 00:31:26,950 --> 00:31:24,880 that is looking 965 00:31:28,710 --> 00:31:26,960 theoretically and trying to put that all 966 00:31:30,789 --> 00:31:28,720 together because i think we need all of 967 00:31:32,789 --> 00:31:30,799 those pieces in order to 968 00:31:34,870 --> 00:31:32,799 let us know how life started on earth 969 00:31:36,230 --> 00:31:34,880 and if we can untangle what happened 970 00:31:40,070 --> 00:31:36,240 here 971 00:31:42,149 --> 00:31:40,080 might be able to better predict 972 00:31:44,070 --> 00:31:42,159 where we would find life somewhere else 973 00:31:45,990 --> 00:31:44,080 like what are the necessary components 974 00:31:48,470 --> 00:31:46,000 not just starting materials but energy 975 00:31:49,430 --> 00:31:48,480 sources as well i hope that answered 976 00:31:51,509 --> 00:31:49,440 your question 977 00:31:52,950 --> 00:31:51,519 absolutely that was great and thanks for 978 00:31:54,230 --> 00:31:52,960 talking about all these different pieces 979 00:31:56,070 --> 00:31:54,240 astrobiology you know 980 00:31:57,990 --> 00:31:56,080 as a large field of people coming 981 00:31:59,430 --> 00:31:58,000 together from different disciplines and 982 00:32:01,350 --> 00:31:59,440 bringing all these different pieces 983 00:32:03,350 --> 00:32:01,360 together to try to understand 984 00:32:04,549 --> 00:32:03,360 our origins and and what life in the 985 00:32:07,029 --> 00:32:04,559 cosmos really is 986 00:32:08,310 --> 00:32:07,039 i really love that a lot uh i do 987 00:32:09,990 --> 00:32:08,320 apologize to our audience i'm going to 988 00:32:11,029 --> 00:32:10,000 start audience questions here very soon 989 00:32:12,950 --> 00:32:11,039 i promise 990 00:32:14,389 --> 00:32:12,960 first off we do want to announce our 991 00:32:16,710 --> 00:32:14,399 twitter poll 992 00:32:18,470 --> 00:32:16,720 this is the very first time where we 993 00:32:20,789 --> 00:32:18,480 polled the audience on twitter 994 00:32:21,669 --> 00:32:20,799 a question about the mission or the 995 00:32:25,029 --> 00:32:21,679 topic 996 00:32:26,710 --> 00:32:25,039 and most people got it wrong so 997 00:32:29,830 --> 00:32:26,720 our question on twitter from nasa 998 00:32:33,190 --> 00:32:29,840 astrobiology or at nasa astrobio 999 00:32:35,909 --> 00:32:33,200 was now that osiris-rex is heading home 1000 00:32:36,950 --> 00:32:35,919 how far does the spacecraft itself have 1001 00:32:39,669 --> 00:32:36,960 to travel 1002 00:32:39,990 --> 00:32:39,679 to get back to earth uh and so we had 1003 00:32:43,029 --> 00:32:40,000 the 1004 00:32:48,870 --> 00:32:43,039 miles 1005 00:32:51,190 --> 00:32:48,880 and it was actually the largest of those 1006 00:32:53,990 --> 00:32:51,200 three 1.4 billion miles 1007 00:32:54,630 --> 00:32:54,000 the spacecraft has to go around the sun 1008 00:32:57,750 --> 00:32:54,640 twice 1009 00:33:00,070 --> 00:32:57,760 on its way back home by 2023 it has 1010 00:33:01,750 --> 00:33:00,080 quite a long journey ahead of it 1011 00:33:03,830 --> 00:33:01,760 but many congratulations to those who 1012 00:33:05,509 --> 00:33:03,840 got it right but there is a lot ahead 1013 00:33:07,269 --> 00:33:05,519 yet for this spacecraft 1014 00:33:10,470 --> 00:33:07,279 for those samples to come back as jason 1015 00:33:12,310 --> 00:33:10,480 mentioned landing in utah in 2023 1016 00:33:13,590 --> 00:33:12,320 uh so now i think we will jump to the 1017 00:33:15,430 --> 00:33:13,600 audience questions and 1018 00:33:17,110 --> 00:33:15,440 the first question i actually already 1019 00:33:17,909 --> 00:33:17,120 knew because it came in before the show 1020 00:33:19,909 --> 00:33:17,919 started 1021 00:33:21,909 --> 00:33:19,919 and i know that jason has an exact 1022 00:33:24,230 --> 00:33:21,919 answer for it because we talked about it 1023 00:33:26,549 --> 00:33:24,240 before the episode started uh the first 1024 00:33:29,909 --> 00:33:26,559 question comes from uh rudy von reap 1025 00:33:30,549 --> 00:33:29,919 on facebook uh rudy asks where is osiris 1026 00:33:34,230 --> 00:33:30,559 rex 1027 00:33:38,230 --> 00:33:34,240 now uh right now 1028 00:33:41,830 --> 00:33:38,240 uh assassin rex is has departed bennu it 1029 00:33:44,950 --> 00:33:41,840 is um 202 1030 00:33:47,350 --> 00:33:44,960 000 kilometers from bennu 1031 00:33:48,789 --> 00:33:47,360 and it is uh the other side of the solar 1032 00:33:50,630 --> 00:33:48,799 system from the earth so it's basically 1033 00:33:54,149 --> 00:33:50,640 in earth's orbit 1034 00:33:57,430 --> 00:33:54,159 uh it is 0.9 a u from the sun 1035 00:33:59,430 --> 00:33:57,440 and 1.9 a u from earth 1036 00:34:03,269 --> 00:33:59,440 so that gives you a one one way light 1037 00:34:04,789 --> 00:34:03,279 time of 15.885 minutes 1038 00:34:06,310 --> 00:34:04,799 lovely yeah it's great to have the data 1039 00:34:07,990 --> 00:34:06,320 we can actually say exactly where it's 1040 00:34:08,710 --> 00:34:08,000 at right now because we do track these 1041 00:34:09,829 --> 00:34:08,720 things 1042 00:34:11,990 --> 00:34:09,839 uh and as you mentioned we'll be 1043 00:34:12,550 --> 00:34:12,000 tracking this into the distant future as 1044 00:34:13,909 --> 00:34:12,560 well 1045 00:34:15,750 --> 00:34:13,919 for future generations they'll be 1046 00:34:17,430 --> 00:34:15,760 tracking venue and other asteroids in 1047 00:34:19,510 --> 00:34:17,440 our solar system 1048 00:34:21,030 --> 00:34:19,520 and if we can jump in you can look at 1049 00:34:22,869 --> 00:34:21,040 nasa eyes 1050 00:34:25,349 --> 00:34:22,879 it's a website where the deep state deep 1051 00:34:26,869 --> 00:34:25,359 space network updates in real time where 1052 00:34:27,990 --> 00:34:26,879 all these spacecraft are 1053 00:34:30,230 --> 00:34:28,000 so if you don't believe me you can look 1054 00:34:31,990 --> 00:34:30,240 yourself look for yourself and find out 1055 00:34:33,750 --> 00:34:32,000 awesome that's a great idea i've used 1056 00:34:34,310 --> 00:34:33,760 that website myself many times to see 1057 00:34:36,069 --> 00:34:34,320 where 1058 00:34:37,909 --> 00:34:36,079 various spacecraft on their way to mars 1059 00:34:39,190 --> 00:34:37,919 and other worlds are at and what's going 1060 00:34:41,909 --> 00:34:39,200 on with them currently 1061 00:34:43,109 --> 00:34:41,919 it's a great site our next question 1062 00:34:46,230 --> 00:34:43,119 comes from twitter 1063 00:34:48,190 --> 00:34:46,240 from jorge cristobal jorge wants to know 1064 00:34:49,589 --> 00:34:48,200 could there potentially be a dangerous 1065 00:34:51,430 --> 00:34:49,599 microorganism 1066 00:34:53,829 --> 00:34:51,440 within this sample coming back from 1067 00:34:55,430 --> 00:34:53,839 bennu and how do we control for a 1068 00:34:56,869 --> 00:34:55,440 potential biohazard and 1069 00:35:00,790 --> 00:34:56,879 i'll open that up to any of you who'd 1070 00:35:04,710 --> 00:35:04,069 i'll start i'll just uh my short answer 1071 00:35:08,310 --> 00:35:04,720 to that 1072 00:35:09,030 --> 00:35:08,320 is we have tons of material falling onto 1073 00:35:12,550 --> 00:35:09,040 the earth 1074 00:35:15,270 --> 00:35:12,560 every year um meteorites landing on 1075 00:35:17,430 --> 00:35:15,280 well everywhere and interplanetary dust 1076 00:35:20,069 --> 00:35:17,440 particles um scott or jason might have a 1077 00:35:22,950 --> 00:35:20,079 better accurate number on how much but 1078 00:35:24,870 --> 00:35:22,960 um so we have been exposed to asteroidal 1079 00:35:28,069 --> 00:35:24,880 materials our entire lives 1080 00:35:29,430 --> 00:35:28,079 um that's yeah there are a variety of 1081 00:35:29,990 --> 00:35:29,440 estimates but i think it's something 1082 00:35:33,430 --> 00:35:30,000 like 12 1083 00:35:36,310 --> 00:35:33,440 tons a day falls in um 1084 00:35:37,109 --> 00:35:36,320 even this was the smaller it brings um 1085 00:35:38,630 --> 00:35:37,119 and uh 1086 00:35:40,150 --> 00:35:38,640 so we're exposed to the stuff all the 1087 00:35:41,510 --> 00:35:40,160 time there's some in the room with you 1088 00:35:44,150 --> 00:35:41,520 right now 1089 00:35:45,990 --> 00:35:44,160 the small dust grains uh like the ones 1090 00:35:47,670 --> 00:35:46,000 we collected and built too 1091 00:35:49,109 --> 00:35:47,680 slow down in the upper atmosphere and 1092 00:35:50,790 --> 00:35:49,119 take you know anywhere from 1093 00:35:52,150 --> 00:35:50,800 a couple of days to a couple of weeks to 1094 00:35:52,470 --> 00:35:52,160 settle out to the ground and then they 1095 00:35:53,829 --> 00:35:52,480 just 1096 00:35:56,069 --> 00:35:53,839 you know get down on the ground and mix 1097 00:35:56,950 --> 00:35:56,079 up all the cat hair and dandruff and 1098 00:35:58,069 --> 00:35:56,960 everything else so 1099 00:35:59,670 --> 00:35:58,079 you've got you know you've probably got 1100 00:36:00,710 --> 00:35:59,680 some common dust in your hair right now 1101 00:36:03,349 --> 00:36:00,720 it's quite possible 1102 00:36:03,750 --> 00:36:03,359 um so uh so for these particular kinds 1103 00:36:05,750 --> 00:36:03,760 of 1104 00:36:07,109 --> 00:36:05,760 materials there's you know no real 1105 00:36:09,349 --> 00:36:07,119 biohazard 1106 00:36:11,030 --> 00:36:09,359 in fact since this has been going on for 1107 00:36:14,150 --> 00:36:11,040 the entire life of the earth maybe it's 1108 00:36:14,870 --> 00:36:14,160 good for us so i can expand on that even 1109 00:36:17,109 --> 00:36:14,880 further 1110 00:36:18,710 --> 00:36:17,119 so in the case of bennu it's a very 1111 00:36:22,230 --> 00:36:18,720 small asteroid only 1112 00:36:22,630 --> 00:36:22,240 uh 500 yards across uh which means that 1113 00:36:26,790 --> 00:36:22,640 it 1114 00:36:31,829 --> 00:36:26,800 water 1115 00:36:34,310 --> 00:36:31,839 to form 1116 00:36:35,589 --> 00:36:34,320 it's been irradiated by galactic cosmic 1117 00:36:37,990 --> 00:36:35,599 rays for 1118 00:36:39,190 --> 00:36:38,000 eons so any life that could have formed 1119 00:36:40,230 --> 00:36:39,200 which it couldn't have would have been 1120 00:36:43,030 --> 00:36:40,240 sterilized 1121 00:36:44,550 --> 00:36:43,040 the surface is very hot uh so anything 1122 00:36:45,190 --> 00:36:44,560 that was that could have formed but 1123 00:36:46,550 --> 00:36:45,200 couldn't have 1124 00:36:48,310 --> 00:36:46,560 would have been sterilized would have 1125 00:36:50,790 --> 00:36:48,320 been killed uh 1126 00:36:51,990 --> 00:36:50,800 and furthermore uh we now know that 1127 00:36:55,430 --> 00:36:52,000 bennu is ejecting 1128 00:36:57,589 --> 00:36:55,440 rocks all the time um centimeter-sized 1129 00:36:59,430 --> 00:36:57,599 pebbles are coming off of bennu bennu 1130 00:37:01,990 --> 00:36:59,440 does cross earth's orbit 1131 00:37:03,750 --> 00:37:02,000 so we we would expect there to be a 1132 00:37:05,430 --> 00:37:03,760 bennu meteor shower 1133 00:37:06,870 --> 00:37:05,440 uh every september in the southern 1134 00:37:09,990 --> 00:37:06,880 hemisphere uh 1135 00:37:11,030 --> 00:37:10,000 and so those generic uh asteroid rocks 1136 00:37:12,550 --> 00:37:11,040 that hit the earth 1137 00:37:14,390 --> 00:37:12,560 actually some of them are coming from 1138 00:37:14,790 --> 00:37:14,400 bennu we just have no way of identifying 1139 00:37:16,950 --> 00:37:14,800 them 1140 00:37:18,630 --> 00:37:16,960 hopefully until we get the sample i mean 1141 00:37:20,069 --> 00:37:18,640 it's entirely possible we have a sample 1142 00:37:23,430 --> 00:37:20,079 of bennu in that inventory 1143 00:37:25,030 --> 00:37:23,440 from antarctica we just don't know it um 1144 00:37:26,630 --> 00:37:25,040 but when we get the venue sample back 1145 00:37:28,230 --> 00:37:26,640 we'll be able to compare against 1146 00:37:31,430 --> 00:37:28,240 the rest of the data set and boost the 1147 00:37:33,589 --> 00:37:31,440 detail and maybe we'll find out 1148 00:37:35,190 --> 00:37:33,599 how we can prove that this has happened 1149 00:37:36,230 --> 00:37:35,200 yeah that's a really good point i think 1150 00:37:38,150 --> 00:37:36,240 a lot of folks you know 1151 00:37:39,829 --> 00:37:38,160 we have mars meteorites that we can we 1152 00:37:42,230 --> 00:37:39,839 can show came from mars because of the 1153 00:37:44,390 --> 00:37:42,240 atmospheric analyses we done on mars but 1154 00:37:45,990 --> 00:37:44,400 we certainly have meteorites from other 1155 00:37:46,710 --> 00:37:46,000 bodies in our solar system that we just 1156 00:37:48,069 --> 00:37:46,720 can't 1157 00:37:49,910 --> 00:37:48,079 pair them up so that's one one thing 1158 00:37:51,430 --> 00:37:49,920 with sample return too we actually then 1159 00:37:53,270 --> 00:37:51,440 can do the inventory and actually 1160 00:37:54,470 --> 00:37:53,280 compare those to other data 1161 00:37:56,470 --> 00:37:54,480 that's a really really good point i 1162 00:37:58,069 --> 00:37:56,480 think for our audience true 1163 00:37:59,829 --> 00:37:58,079 it's also possible that the rocks and 1164 00:38:02,550 --> 00:37:59,839 from bennu are so crumbly 1165 00:38:03,190 --> 00:38:02,560 as we saw from the tag event the the tag 1166 00:38:06,069 --> 00:38:03,200 uh 1167 00:38:06,710 --> 00:38:06,079 arm sank into bennu by perhaps half a 1168 00:38:08,790 --> 00:38:06,720 meter 1169 00:38:11,109 --> 00:38:08,800 that maybe the rocks are so crumbly that 1170 00:38:12,710 --> 00:38:11,119 they don't survive long on earth 1171 00:38:14,950 --> 00:38:12,720 that they don't pass through the 1172 00:38:16,630 --> 00:38:14,960 atmosphere without breaking up into dust 1173 00:38:17,990 --> 00:38:16,640 and if they land on the earth maybe they 1174 00:38:21,349 --> 00:38:18,000 they dissolve within 1175 00:38:22,310 --> 00:38:21,359 uh days or hours and so uh they may be 1176 00:38:25,510 --> 00:38:22,320 on earth and we just 1177 00:38:27,109 --> 00:38:25,520 never have seen them and you just you 1178 00:38:28,870 --> 00:38:27,119 just mentioned that the tag event um 1179 00:38:30,310 --> 00:38:28,880 we have another question from anna rupa 1180 00:38:31,030 --> 00:38:30,320 hunty one of our ambassadors of the 1181 00:38:33,589 --> 00:38:31,040 month 1182 00:38:34,310 --> 00:38:33,599 uh who asks uh the mars parachutes were 1183 00:38:36,390 --> 00:38:34,320 tested 1184 00:38:37,510 --> 00:38:36,400 in wind tunnels at nasa wallops and and 1185 00:38:40,230 --> 00:38:37,520 nasa ames 1186 00:38:41,349 --> 00:38:40,240 uh he wants to know if uh if and where 1187 00:38:44,550 --> 00:38:41,359 the osiris-rex 1188 00:38:46,550 --> 00:38:44,560 boop was tested was was the tag 1189 00:38:49,109 --> 00:38:46,560 process tested anywhere and and what was 1190 00:38:52,630 --> 00:38:49,119 that test like 1191 00:38:54,390 --> 00:38:52,640 it was tested so much um 1192 00:38:56,310 --> 00:38:54,400 it was the technology developed by our 1193 00:38:57,190 --> 00:38:56,320 partners at lockheed martin uh space 1194 00:38:59,829 --> 00:38:57,200 systems 1195 00:39:01,750 --> 00:38:59,839 and they uh they tested it in uh under 1196 00:39:03,430 --> 00:39:01,760 vacuum chambers on earth 1197 00:39:05,270 --> 00:39:03,440 with a var with a whole range of 1198 00:39:08,310 --> 00:39:05,280 materials in range of orientations 1199 00:39:08,950 --> 00:39:08,320 they tested it on the um the vomit comet 1200 00:39:11,349 --> 00:39:08,960 that this 1201 00:39:12,630 --> 00:39:11,359 the parabolic airplane to check it under 1202 00:39:14,550 --> 00:39:12,640 microgravity 1203 00:39:15,750 --> 00:39:14,560 uh it's difficult to enter full vacuum 1204 00:39:17,589 --> 00:39:15,760 and microgravity at the same time but 1205 00:39:20,710 --> 00:39:17,599 they did extrapolations 1206 00:39:22,069 --> 00:39:20,720 um so it's been tested 1207 00:39:24,950 --> 00:39:22,079 an enormous amount under various 1208 00:39:27,670 --> 00:39:24,960 different designs to then optimize it 1209 00:39:28,069 --> 00:39:27,680 for example we optimize the amount of 1210 00:39:35,670 --> 00:39:28,079 gas 1211 00:39:37,670 --> 00:39:35,680 we also discovered that you can also 1212 00:39:39,829 --> 00:39:37,680 uh pop up off the surface if there's too 1213 00:39:42,230 --> 00:39:39,839 much gas acts like a thruster 1214 00:39:44,069 --> 00:39:42,240 and so we we had to tailor that based on 1215 00:39:46,470 --> 00:39:44,079 the dynamics of the spacecraft 1216 00:39:48,310 --> 00:39:46,480 touching the asteroid uh based on our 1217 00:39:50,310 --> 00:39:48,320 understanding of the asteroid in 1218 00:39:51,910 --> 00:39:50,320 you know before launch which would 1219 00:39:53,510 --> 00:39:51,920 change somewhat when we got there 1220 00:39:55,190 --> 00:39:53,520 so it's been tested enormous amount we 1221 00:39:58,230 --> 00:39:55,200 also tested the parachutes of course 1222 00:40:00,310 --> 00:39:58,240 by dropping things from helicopters yeah 1223 00:40:02,710 --> 00:40:00,320 i point out that the the sample return 1224 00:40:06,150 --> 00:40:02,720 capsule for osiris-rex is 1225 00:40:07,589 --> 00:40:06,160 based on the stardust uh capsule and so 1226 00:40:09,430 --> 00:40:07,599 it also got lots of 1227 00:40:11,829 --> 00:40:09,440 testing that was dropped in the desert 1228 00:40:14,150 --> 00:40:11,839 and 1229 00:40:14,870 --> 00:40:14,160 before so there was a already a data set 1230 00:40:18,470 --> 00:40:14,880 available 1231 00:40:21,190 --> 00:40:18,480 for osiris-rex to begin from indeed 1232 00:40:23,349 --> 00:40:21,200 i i would just add that i the tag sam is 1233 00:40:25,589 --> 00:40:23,359 one of my favorite parts of this mission 1234 00:40:28,069 --> 00:40:25,599 and a few years ago as part of my job i 1235 00:40:30,470 --> 00:40:28,079 was able to work with a program 1236 00:40:32,230 --> 00:40:30,480 with engineers so partly getting 1237 00:40:34,309 --> 00:40:32,240 engineers and scientists to learn how to 1238 00:40:37,190 --> 00:40:34,319 work together but they were designing 1239 00:40:38,390 --> 00:40:37,200 sample return missions using a little 1240 00:40:40,309 --> 00:40:38,400 helicopters 1241 00:40:42,069 --> 00:40:40,319 and they had to actually design a way 1242 00:40:45,190 --> 00:40:42,079 and successfully pick up 1243 00:40:48,069 --> 00:40:45,200 samples from a you know a mars yard 1244 00:40:49,829 --> 00:40:48,079 um at johnson space center and so 1245 00:40:52,150 --> 00:40:49,839 working with them and finding ways not 1246 00:40:53,910 --> 00:40:52,160 only to collect successfully but collect 1247 00:40:56,470 --> 00:40:53,920 cleanly making sure that you're not 1248 00:40:58,950 --> 00:40:56,480 adding anything to the sample and so 1249 00:41:00,790 --> 00:40:58,960 tag sam to me is just an engineering 1250 00:41:03,589 --> 00:41:00,800 marvel and it's amazing 1251 00:41:04,950 --> 00:41:03,599 um yeah i think everyone loves it too 1252 00:41:06,069 --> 00:41:04,960 like the idea that there's this cosmic 1253 00:41:07,270 --> 00:41:06,079 boop right 1254 00:41:09,430 --> 00:41:07,280 i think i think everyone really loved 1255 00:41:11,030 --> 00:41:09,440 that um scott i'd like to direct the 1256 00:41:13,829 --> 00:41:11,040 next question to you 1257 00:41:15,670 --> 00:41:13,839 this comes from jim pass he's at astro 1258 00:41:17,910 --> 00:41:15,680 sociology on twitter 1259 00:41:18,790 --> 00:41:17,920 jim wants to know what can analyzing 1260 00:41:20,309 --> 00:41:18,800 this sample 1261 00:41:22,390 --> 00:41:20,319 from bennu and really what does this 1262 00:41:24,069 --> 00:41:22,400 work reveal to us 1263 00:41:26,069 --> 00:41:24,079 as a society that really benefits the 1264 00:41:28,069 --> 00:41:26,079 future of humanity 1265 00:41:29,910 --> 00:41:28,079 well i think i'll go back to yet again 1266 00:41:31,670 --> 00:41:29,920 to jason describing our acronym 1267 00:41:34,230 --> 00:41:31,680 there's actually not one answer to this 1268 00:41:35,910 --> 00:41:34,240 um uh you know just 1269 00:41:38,710 --> 00:41:35,920 let's just pick a really big scale one 1270 00:41:40,630 --> 00:41:38,720 since bennu is in fact one of the larger 1271 00:41:42,069 --> 00:41:40,640 potential hazards for an impact with the 1272 00:41:44,870 --> 00:41:42,079 earth uh 1273 00:41:45,990 --> 00:41:44,880 if it did that the destructive uh nature 1274 00:41:49,270 --> 00:41:46,000 of that event would be 1275 00:41:51,109 --> 00:41:49,280 pretty serious and um so our 1276 00:41:52,790 --> 00:41:51,119 our understanding this object and 1277 00:41:54,230 --> 00:41:52,800 understanding the dynamics of such 1278 00:41:55,750 --> 00:41:54,240 objects and being able to 1279 00:41:57,430 --> 00:41:55,760 understand the material from which this 1280 00:41:59,109 --> 00:41:57,440 project was made 1281 00:42:01,829 --> 00:41:59,119 how that might affect how you could get 1282 00:42:03,670 --> 00:42:01,839 manipulated 1283 00:42:05,030 --> 00:42:03,680 play a major role in you know literally 1284 00:42:06,230 --> 00:42:05,040 saving millions of people from the 1285 00:42:08,550 --> 00:42:06,240 future so 1286 00:42:09,430 --> 00:42:08,560 so there's so there's a big scale one um 1287 00:42:13,670 --> 00:42:09,440 uh 1288 00:42:15,670 --> 00:42:13,680 point maybe i put more 1289 00:42:16,870 --> 00:42:15,680 emphasis on this than maybe your average 1290 00:42:18,790 --> 00:42:16,880 person does but 1291 00:42:20,470 --> 00:42:18,800 um you know the solar system is our 1292 00:42:22,069 --> 00:42:20,480 neighborhood and i like to understand 1293 00:42:23,990 --> 00:42:22,079 our neighborhood and so just the raw 1294 00:42:27,829 --> 00:42:24,000 science the raw understanding 1295 00:42:30,230 --> 00:42:27,839 of what's going on around us i think 1296 00:42:33,510 --> 00:42:30,240 enriches our lives uh which is our 1297 00:42:36,309 --> 00:42:33,520 understanding of the universe we live in 1298 00:42:37,750 --> 00:42:36,319 uh and so i see i personally see that as 1299 00:42:39,589 --> 00:42:37,760 as a big value as well 1300 00:42:41,670 --> 00:42:39,599 and um there are others but maybe i'll 1301 00:42:45,349 --> 00:42:41,680 shut up and let one of the other two 1302 00:42:48,710 --> 00:42:45,359 weigh in on this 1303 00:42:51,829 --> 00:42:48,720 go ahead jason oh i mean so 1304 00:42:53,750 --> 00:42:51,839 let me first um uh clarify scott 1305 00:42:54,950 --> 00:42:53,760 said if i want to make sure it's stuck 1306 00:42:57,589 --> 00:42:54,960 in everyone's mind 1307 00:42:59,589 --> 00:42:57,599 the potential for bennu impact is in 1308 00:43:01,910 --> 00:42:59,599 over 150 years 1309 00:43:03,270 --> 00:43:01,920 so there's lots and lots of time to to 1310 00:43:06,230 --> 00:43:03,280 to worry about that 1311 00:43:07,750 --> 00:43:06,240 uh there are many there are more many 1312 00:43:09,910 --> 00:43:07,760 more present dangers 1313 00:43:12,230 --> 00:43:09,920 uh you can focus on rather than worrying 1314 00:43:14,069 --> 00:43:12,240 about about this asteroid impact um 1315 00:43:16,230 --> 00:43:14,079 and it's not a it would be a local 1316 00:43:18,150 --> 00:43:16,240 catastrophe but 1317 00:43:19,589 --> 00:43:18,160 we we have enough information to prevent 1318 00:43:22,390 --> 00:43:19,599 it so that's great 1319 00:43:23,990 --> 00:43:22,400 uh we also have learned how to navigate 1320 00:43:25,670 --> 00:43:24,000 around a small object 1321 00:43:27,030 --> 00:43:25,680 something this small that has 1322 00:43:29,109 --> 00:43:27,040 microgravity 1323 00:43:30,150 --> 00:43:29,119 so that would be useful for say future 1324 00:43:32,069 --> 00:43:30,160 asteroid mining 1325 00:43:33,829 --> 00:43:32,079 future exploration of the solar system 1326 00:43:37,349 --> 00:43:33,839 either robotically or with 1327 00:43:38,950 --> 00:43:37,359 or with humans um and of course uh we're 1328 00:43:39,990 --> 00:43:38,960 all here for astrobiology and that's 1329 00:43:43,190 --> 00:43:40,000 that's my favorite part 1330 00:43:45,190 --> 00:43:43,200 is the origins aspect 1331 00:43:47,030 --> 00:43:45,200 i would agree that the origins aspect is 1332 00:43:48,309 --> 00:43:47,040 also my favorite part but one of the 1333 00:43:50,550 --> 00:43:48,319 things that i hope comes 1334 00:43:53,270 --> 00:43:50,560 from the mission is that future 1335 00:43:53,990 --> 00:43:53,280 engineers and future scientists are so 1336 00:43:56,150 --> 00:43:54,000 inspired 1337 00:43:58,470 --> 00:43:56,160 by what they saw and all of the records 1338 00:44:02,150 --> 00:43:58,480 that osiris-rex has 1339 00:44:05,030 --> 00:44:02,160 met and exceeded on its own um that it 1340 00:44:06,550 --> 00:44:05,040 gets their imaginations going and they 1341 00:44:08,710 --> 00:44:06,560 start planning 1342 00:44:10,390 --> 00:44:08,720 you know missions for the future and so 1343 00:44:12,390 --> 00:44:10,400 i think 1344 00:44:13,510 --> 00:44:12,400 even without all the scientific data 1345 00:44:13,910 --> 00:44:13,520 that we're going to get which is going 1346 00:44:15,750 --> 00:44:13,920 to be 1347 00:44:19,109 --> 00:44:15,760 fantastic the things we're going to 1348 00:44:22,470 --> 00:44:19,119 learn i think we're also going to 1349 00:44:23,670 --> 00:44:22,480 promote future scientists and engineers 1350 00:44:25,430 --> 00:44:23,680 i already said that 1351 00:44:27,270 --> 00:44:25,440 but that's that's sort of what i think a 1352 00:44:30,710 --> 00:44:27,280 big picture um 1353 00:44:32,390 --> 00:44:30,720 beyond the mission uh effect i love that 1354 00:44:34,230 --> 00:44:32,400 so much i know we have students watching 1355 00:44:35,670 --> 00:44:34,240 this show who might be interested in 1356 00:44:37,750 --> 00:44:35,680 being those future scientists and 1357 00:44:39,030 --> 00:44:37,760 engineers who are taking part in that 1358 00:44:40,390 --> 00:44:39,040 and actually there's another question 1359 00:44:41,990 --> 00:44:40,400 kind of along that line that i'd like to 1360 00:44:44,710 --> 00:44:42,000 start off with with you eve 1361 00:44:45,109 --> 00:44:44,720 uh aaron francis on facebook wants to 1362 00:44:47,270 --> 00:44:45,119 know 1363 00:44:48,470 --> 00:44:47,280 if there are any emerging techniques or 1364 00:44:50,390 --> 00:44:48,480 technologies 1365 00:44:52,309 --> 00:44:50,400 um that you're most excited about being 1366 00:44:54,150 --> 00:44:52,319 applied to bennu or potentially being 1367 00:44:58,230 --> 00:44:54,160 applied to these samples from bennu 1368 00:45:00,069 --> 00:44:58,240 oh gosh um 1369 00:45:02,790 --> 00:45:00,079 you know that's a really great question 1370 00:45:05,030 --> 00:45:02,800 and i i'm so stuck in my own little 1371 00:45:07,990 --> 00:45:05,040 world these days but what i will say 1372 00:45:09,510 --> 00:45:08,000 is i know that for liquid chromatography 1373 00:45:12,390 --> 00:45:09,520 mass spectrometry 1374 00:45:13,510 --> 00:45:12,400 new capabilities are being developed by 1375 00:45:16,870 --> 00:45:13,520 companies every day 1376 00:45:18,870 --> 00:45:16,880 a new uh one of the companies just came 1377 00:45:20,550 --> 00:45:18,880 out with a new way or a new material to 1378 00:45:22,309 --> 00:45:20,560 build things with so that more of the 1379 00:45:24,470 --> 00:45:22,319 material goes through the system and 1380 00:45:25,030 --> 00:45:24,480 gets analyzed so things like that are 1381 00:45:27,270 --> 00:45:25,040 happening 1382 00:45:30,230 --> 00:45:27,280 i know transmission electron micro 1383 00:45:33,670 --> 00:45:30,240 microscopes are getting more and more 1384 00:45:35,430 --> 00:45:33,680 accurate and can measure 1385 00:45:36,950 --> 00:45:35,440 to higher and higher degrees so all of 1386 00:45:39,589 --> 00:45:36,960 those little changes 1387 00:45:40,630 --> 00:45:39,599 will add up um i apologize that i don't 1388 00:45:42,630 --> 00:45:40,640 have a specific 1389 00:45:44,870 --> 00:45:42,640 really big one right now but i will say 1390 00:45:46,069 --> 00:45:44,880 just you see small incremental changes 1391 00:45:49,109 --> 00:45:46,079 in the instrumentation 1392 00:45:52,309 --> 00:45:49,119 over time um are amazing 1393 00:45:53,990 --> 00:45:52,319 yeah i'd add that 1394 00:45:55,430 --> 00:45:54,000 you know we're going to be studying 1395 00:45:57,349 --> 00:45:55,440 these samples using techniques that 1396 00:45:58,870 --> 00:45:57,359 probably didn't exist when osiris-rex 1397 00:46:01,750 --> 00:45:58,880 launched 1398 00:46:02,790 --> 00:46:01,760 when we flew stardust i um and got back 1399 00:46:04,390 --> 00:46:02,800 and did the analysis 1400 00:46:05,750 --> 00:46:04,400 the initial analysis of the samples i 1401 00:46:07,190 --> 00:46:05,760 went and looked at all the techniques we 1402 00:46:07,990 --> 00:46:07,200 used and then compared to the list of 1403 00:46:09,990 --> 00:46:08,000 techniques 1404 00:46:11,589 --> 00:46:10,000 we told nasa we would try to use on the 1405 00:46:13,670 --> 00:46:11,599 samples when they came back 1406 00:46:14,630 --> 00:46:13,680 and the overlap wasn't all that big 1407 00:46:18,390 --> 00:46:14,640 actually um 1408 00:46:19,829 --> 00:46:18,400 that uh techniques had developed so much 1409 00:46:20,390 --> 00:46:19,839 over the course of the flight of the 1410 00:46:22,470 --> 00:46:20,400 mission 1411 00:46:24,150 --> 00:46:22,480 um that we were doing things to the 1412 00:46:27,430 --> 00:46:24,160 samples that we hadn't even imagined 1413 00:46:27,990 --> 00:46:27,440 when we first started and there's no 1414 00:46:30,150 --> 00:46:28,000 reason to believe 1415 00:46:31,990 --> 00:46:30,160 this will stop um and and uh the fact 1416 00:46:34,950 --> 00:46:32,000 that the samples by the territorial 1417 00:46:36,630 --> 00:46:34,960 facility will they'll be available for 1418 00:46:39,670 --> 00:46:36,640 you know decades to come just means that 1419 00:46:42,150 --> 00:46:39,680 we'll just keep happening 1420 00:46:44,150 --> 00:46:42,160 and to combine those two answers uh when 1421 00:46:44,870 --> 00:46:44,160 we first wrote the osophosaurus rex we 1422 00:46:46,870 --> 00:46:44,880 hadn't 1423 00:46:48,069 --> 00:46:46,880 included ultra high resolution mass 1424 00:46:49,349 --> 00:46:48,079 spectrometry 1425 00:46:51,349 --> 00:46:49,359 which is one of the techniques that's 1426 00:46:53,030 --> 00:46:51,359 being applied to 1427 00:46:55,030 --> 00:46:53,040 liquid chromatography and other 1428 00:46:57,990 --> 00:46:55,040 techniques which is now 1429 00:46:59,750 --> 00:46:58,000 which had been which had existed but was 1430 00:47:01,589 --> 00:46:59,760 really out of the reach of these sorts 1431 00:47:03,910 --> 00:47:01,599 of samples and now they are 1432 00:47:05,750 --> 00:47:03,920 almost routine and they they will shed 1433 00:47:07,510 --> 00:47:05,760 tremendous amounts of information 1434 00:47:09,430 --> 00:47:07,520 and our sample analysis plan now 1435 00:47:09,990 --> 00:47:09,440 includes several different approaches 1436 00:47:11,990 --> 00:47:10,000 with different 1437 00:47:13,750 --> 00:47:12,000 kinds of ultra high resolution mass 1438 00:47:15,750 --> 00:47:13,760 spectrometry 1439 00:47:17,190 --> 00:47:15,760 um yeah there's too much and you know it 1440 00:47:17,670 --> 00:47:17,200 is hard to predict the future who knows 1441 00:47:19,030 --> 00:47:17,680 what 1442 00:47:20,790 --> 00:47:19,040 the great techniques of the future will 1443 00:47:21,270 --> 00:47:20,800 be but yeah we're very much in that kind 1444 00:47:24,630 --> 00:47:21,280 of 1445 00:47:26,630 --> 00:47:24,640 learning and using new things 1446 00:47:28,230 --> 00:47:26,640 it's like the galileo spacecraft used a 1447 00:47:29,750 --> 00:47:28,240 much different camera system than 1448 00:47:31,670 --> 00:47:29,760 we would have sent by the time it 1449 00:47:32,950 --> 00:47:31,680 actually got to the jovian system 1450 00:47:34,390 --> 00:47:32,960 and these things happened in space 1451 00:47:35,910 --> 00:47:34,400 exploration so i'm very glad you pointed 1452 00:47:38,549 --> 00:47:35,920 that out scott 1453 00:47:39,589 --> 00:47:38,559 our next question comes from tom caruso 1454 00:47:41,190 --> 00:47:39,599 on facebook 1455 00:47:42,710 --> 00:47:41,200 uh tom has been watching this show for 1456 00:47:44,069 --> 00:47:42,720 quite some time and i happen to know 1457 00:47:47,030 --> 00:47:44,079 that tom loves 1458 00:47:48,870 --> 00:47:47,040 the icy ocean worlds of our solar system 1459 00:47:49,670 --> 00:47:48,880 and so his question isn't too surprising 1460 00:47:51,190 --> 00:47:49,680 to me 1461 00:47:53,190 --> 00:47:51,200 uh he does thank all three of you for 1462 00:47:54,150 --> 00:47:53,200 your time and then he wants to know if 1463 00:47:56,870 --> 00:47:54,160 you can describe 1464 00:47:58,150 --> 00:47:56,880 what we've learned so far from bennu and 1465 00:48:00,950 --> 00:47:58,160 whether that will possibly 1466 00:48:04,829 --> 00:48:00,960 tell us anything about the rocky cores 1467 00:48:10,390 --> 00:48:07,510 system 1468 00:48:12,470 --> 00:48:10,400 that's a really great question i'm going 1469 00:48:12,790 --> 00:48:12,480 to be the first to say that that is so 1470 00:48:15,030 --> 00:48:12,800 far 1471 00:48:16,470 --> 00:48:15,040 outside of the realm of my expertise 1472 00:48:21,990 --> 00:48:16,480 that i would be 1473 00:48:26,150 --> 00:48:24,069 um yeah well you know i don't know much 1474 00:48:29,510 --> 00:48:26,160 about the course of these objects myself 1475 00:48:32,630 --> 00:48:29,520 um but i we do i think believe that 1476 00:48:34,309 --> 00:48:32,640 objects like bennu are quite primitive 1477 00:48:36,150 --> 00:48:34,319 in the sense that they have they've been 1478 00:48:37,829 --> 00:48:36,160 altered since they first formed but they 1479 00:48:39,109 --> 00:48:37,839 haven't been altered to the extent for 1480 00:48:43,030 --> 00:48:39,119 example the earth 1481 00:48:45,109 --> 00:48:43,040 or these kinds of satellites have 1482 00:48:47,270 --> 00:48:45,119 and so studying objects like bennu at 1483 00:48:49,990 --> 00:48:47,280 least gives you a better understanding 1484 00:48:51,430 --> 00:48:50,000 of kind of where you started from 1485 00:48:53,670 --> 00:48:51,440 so the cores of these satellites have 1486 00:48:55,750 --> 00:48:53,680 really had a very specific history 1487 00:48:57,589 --> 00:48:55,760 unique to themselves 1488 00:48:59,589 --> 00:48:57,599 but they were initially made from 1489 00:49:00,230 --> 00:48:59,599 materials that spent time in the solar 1490 00:49:03,270 --> 00:49:00,240 nebula 1491 00:49:06,069 --> 00:49:03,280 and went through those processes and so 1492 00:49:07,510 --> 00:49:06,079 i don't know that bennu can use to 1493 00:49:08,950 --> 00:49:07,520 directly address the nature of the 1494 00:49:10,470 --> 00:49:08,960 course of these satellites but it 1495 00:49:11,349 --> 00:49:10,480 certainly gives us a hint of the kinds 1496 00:49:12,870 --> 00:49:11,359 of things 1497 00:49:14,470 --> 00:49:12,880 that would have been in the ingredients 1498 00:49:15,910 --> 00:49:14,480 list for the cooking for you know that's 1499 00:49:17,270 --> 00:49:15,920 a very different recipe to make one of 1500 00:49:19,670 --> 00:49:17,280 these satellites and to make 1501 00:49:21,270 --> 00:49:19,680 bennu you know or the earth but at least 1502 00:49:24,390 --> 00:49:21,280 some of the ingredients may have 1503 00:49:27,910 --> 00:49:24,400 been similar indeed 1504 00:49:30,230 --> 00:49:27,920 um the other thing you're both correct 1505 00:49:32,790 --> 00:49:30,240 it's very hard to say something specific 1506 00:49:33,349 --> 00:49:32,800 um we look at the sandwich we might we 1507 00:49:36,069 --> 00:49:33,359 have 1508 00:49:37,109 --> 00:49:36,079 learned more about uh perhaps how 1509 00:49:41,829 --> 00:49:37,119 impacts form 1510 00:49:45,030 --> 00:49:41,839 on uh on uh very loose rocks that might 1511 00:49:46,870 --> 00:49:45,040 perhaps melt intercourse and 1512 00:49:49,109 --> 00:49:46,880 that maybe that that helps maybe it 1513 00:49:52,150 --> 00:49:49,119 doesn't but we also have learned that 1514 00:49:53,589 --> 00:49:52,160 we have evidence of uh rocks on the 1515 00:49:55,990 --> 00:49:53,599 surface of bennu from 1516 00:49:57,430 --> 00:49:56,000 perhaps vesta and so that tells us 1517 00:50:00,470 --> 00:49:57,440 something about how 1518 00:50:01,670 --> 00:50:00,480 these um these bodies can exchange 1519 00:50:02,790 --> 00:50:01,680 material which is something that hadn't 1520 00:50:05,750 --> 00:50:02,800 really been thought about 1521 00:50:07,349 --> 00:50:05,760 so much and so perhaps we'll get a piece 1522 00:50:09,910 --> 00:50:07,359 of the of this festoid uh 1523 00:50:11,349 --> 00:50:09,920 back and if festa then well maybe series 1524 00:50:12,870 --> 00:50:11,359 two 1525 00:50:14,950 --> 00:50:12,880 that's incredible to think about i think 1526 00:50:16,710 --> 00:50:14,960 a lot of people are kind of unaware that 1527 00:50:18,790 --> 00:50:16,720 in the very early solar system there 1528 00:50:20,630 --> 00:50:18,800 were so many worldlets 1529 00:50:22,150 --> 00:50:20,640 just flying around and crashing into 1530 00:50:24,069 --> 00:50:22,160 each other and that's how we get things 1531 00:50:25,510 --> 00:50:24,079 like vesta and ceres and some of these 1532 00:50:27,270 --> 00:50:25,520 other bodies we see now 1533 00:50:29,109 --> 00:50:27,280 it wasn't all just formed where it is 1534 00:50:31,030 --> 00:50:29,119 now there's a lot of change in the 1535 00:50:32,390 --> 00:50:31,040 early solar system so that makes me 1536 00:50:33,910 --> 00:50:32,400 wonder a lot about the samples we might 1537 00:50:35,190 --> 00:50:33,920 get back now and if there is some 1538 00:50:37,349 --> 00:50:35,200 vestoid material and 1539 00:50:38,549 --> 00:50:37,359 i love that term too jason oh we know 1540 00:50:40,150 --> 00:50:38,559 from the returned 1541 00:50:41,750 --> 00:50:40,160 you know meteorites meteorites or 1542 00:50:44,950 --> 00:50:41,760 britches they actually are 1543 00:50:46,470 --> 00:50:44,960 ensembles of rock rocks they clearly 1544 00:50:47,510 --> 00:50:46,480 have very different histories that got 1545 00:50:49,030 --> 00:50:47,520 together 1546 00:50:50,950 --> 00:50:49,040 on a parent body and then ultimately 1547 00:50:53,030 --> 00:50:50,960 made it to us and so it's quite clear 1548 00:50:54,470 --> 00:50:53,040 these objects do in fact swap materials 1549 00:50:56,309 --> 00:50:54,480 back and forth and 1550 00:50:58,630 --> 00:50:56,319 we definitely did it and probably did it 1551 00:51:00,630 --> 00:50:58,640 at a very high rate in the early solar 1552 00:51:02,230 --> 00:51:00,640 nebula we've even observed enormous 1553 00:51:04,549 --> 00:51:02,240 stretches on bennu uh 1554 00:51:05,270 --> 00:51:04,559 meters across that brushes so the 1555 00:51:07,670 --> 00:51:05,280 brushes 1556 00:51:09,109 --> 00:51:07,680 we now know are both fine scale in the 1557 00:51:11,030 --> 00:51:09,119 the micron across 1558 00:51:13,270 --> 00:51:11,040 all the way up to meter-sized branches 1559 00:51:15,190 --> 00:51:13,280 so uh this this tells us something about 1560 00:51:16,950 --> 00:51:15,200 how planetesimals form 1561 00:51:19,030 --> 00:51:16,960 and i'm sure someone smarter than me 1562 00:51:21,430 --> 00:51:19,040 could apply that to the cores of 1563 00:51:23,750 --> 00:51:21,440 of ocean worlds love it yeah again 1564 00:51:24,230 --> 00:51:23,760 astrobiology and planetary science we 1565 00:51:26,069 --> 00:51:24,240 are 1566 00:51:27,510 --> 00:51:26,079 these large fields bringing together all 1567 00:51:28,870 --> 00:51:27,520 these different studies so that 1568 00:51:30,710 --> 00:51:28,880 the work you're doing right now in 1569 00:51:32,710 --> 00:51:30,720 organic chemistry and understanding 1570 00:51:33,990 --> 00:51:32,720 these materials forming on bennu 1571 00:51:35,990 --> 00:51:34,000 and the samples we're returning can 1572 00:51:37,750 --> 00:51:36,000 teach us about these other worlds 1573 00:51:39,910 --> 00:51:37,760 the expertise of other scientists as 1574 00:51:41,829 --> 00:51:39,920 well and i really love that 1575 00:51:43,589 --> 00:51:41,839 our next question comes from sanjoy 1576 00:51:45,670 --> 00:51:43,599 psalm using second net 1577 00:51:47,750 --> 00:51:45,680 but i want to alter his question just a 1578 00:51:49,510 --> 00:51:47,760 little bit uh he wants to know what all 1579 00:51:50,790 --> 00:51:49,520 of your favorite solar system objects 1580 00:51:53,109 --> 00:51:50,800 are 1581 00:51:54,309 --> 00:51:53,119 i'd like to alter that just a little bit 1582 00:51:57,670 --> 00:51:54,319 and say 1583 00:51:59,430 --> 00:51:57,680 if funding wasn't an issue and you could 1584 00:52:02,230 --> 00:51:59,440 choose whichever mission you want to 1585 00:52:04,150 --> 00:52:02,240 create to go to some solar system body 1586 00:52:05,510 --> 00:52:04,160 what would be the mission or the body 1587 00:52:07,349 --> 00:52:05,520 and why 1588 00:52:09,589 --> 00:52:07,359 i can't narrow it down to one object i 1589 00:52:11,510 --> 00:52:09,599 mean uh i'm you know professionally my 1590 00:52:12,950 --> 00:52:11,520 interest is in small primitive bodies so 1591 00:52:14,230 --> 00:52:12,960 asteroids and comets 1592 00:52:16,150 --> 00:52:14,240 i have to say i do have a sort of 1593 00:52:20,230 --> 00:52:16,160 special soft spot 1594 00:52:22,230 --> 00:52:20,240 for jupiter's moon io uh back in my 1595 00:52:24,150 --> 00:52:22,240 postdoc days i actually got telescopic 1596 00:52:25,829 --> 00:52:24,160 data bio that allowed us to identify the 1597 00:52:28,069 --> 00:52:25,839 molecule so2 1598 00:52:30,309 --> 00:52:28,079 on the surface and figure out that um 1599 00:52:32,230 --> 00:52:30,319 many of the ices on i o must be 1600 00:52:33,750 --> 00:52:32,240 large you know giant sort of like ice 1601 00:52:34,950 --> 00:52:33,760 cube type things as opposed to just 1602 00:52:36,790 --> 00:52:34,960 frosts 1603 00:52:38,069 --> 00:52:36,800 um so that's a pretty cool object but 1604 00:52:40,950 --> 00:52:38,079 that's a pretty far 1605 00:52:44,829 --> 00:52:40,960 stretch from astrobiology so it's more 1606 00:52:50,630 --> 00:52:47,030 favorite 1607 00:52:52,390 --> 00:52:50,640 that's where we know that there's life 1608 00:52:53,670 --> 00:52:52,400 and that's where my house is and i keep 1609 00:52:55,829 --> 00:52:53,680 my stuff 1610 00:52:57,030 --> 00:52:55,839 but if i had to get a sample from 1611 00:53:00,470 --> 00:52:57,040 somewhere i'd choose 1612 00:53:00,790 --> 00:53:00,480 arakoth if that's how you say it uh that 1613 00:53:03,750 --> 00:53:00,800 is 1614 00:53:04,390 --> 00:53:03,760 a truly primitive object that's never 1615 00:53:07,510 --> 00:53:04,400 melted 1616 00:53:09,990 --> 00:53:07,520 this is the thing discovered by um uh 1617 00:53:11,670 --> 00:53:10,000 new horizons it's out past pluto and 1618 00:53:13,430 --> 00:53:11,680 having a sample of that back in earth 1619 00:53:16,390 --> 00:53:13,440 would be just amazing 1620 00:53:18,630 --> 00:53:16,400 uh and a technological miracle we don't 1621 00:53:20,309 --> 00:53:18,640 have that ability right now but you know 1622 00:53:21,829 --> 00:53:20,319 if i had my fantasy that would be a 1623 00:53:25,910 --> 00:53:21,839 piece of that 1624 00:53:26,630 --> 00:53:25,920 i love it so like jason i am fond of the 1625 00:53:30,390 --> 00:53:26,640 earth 1626 00:53:33,109 --> 00:53:30,400 um i also have a fondness for titan 1627 00:53:33,829 --> 00:53:33,119 but if i if money were not an object and 1628 00:53:37,030 --> 00:53:33,839 i had 1629 00:53:39,510 --> 00:53:37,040 the engineering skills like scott 1630 00:53:41,990 --> 00:53:39,520 i am a sucker for the primitive material 1631 00:53:44,069 --> 00:53:42,000 so i really want comets and asteroids so 1632 00:53:47,750 --> 00:53:44,079 if i could send something out 1633 00:53:50,470 --> 00:53:47,760 sample stove sample stow and have it hop 1634 00:53:52,150 --> 00:53:50,480 from asteroid to asteroid and maybe pick 1635 00:53:54,390 --> 00:53:52,160 up a little bit of comet tail 1636 00:53:55,670 --> 00:53:54,400 and a little coma material as it flies 1637 00:53:57,510 --> 00:53:55,680 through then 1638 00:53:59,829 --> 00:53:57,520 you know why not that that is what 1639 00:54:01,829 --> 00:53:59,839 that's where my my money would go 1640 00:54:03,990 --> 00:54:01,839 ah see that audience those paying 1641 00:54:05,910 --> 00:54:04,000 attention the primitive asteroid hopper 1642 00:54:08,230 --> 00:54:05,920 is the mission you need to build for eve 1643 00:54:10,470 --> 00:54:08,240 for her future research 1644 00:54:12,309 --> 00:54:10,480 future missions i also second jason's 1645 00:54:13,670 --> 00:54:12,319 thing about ice i mean you know when i'm 1646 00:54:15,109 --> 00:54:13,680 not doing sample return missions my 1647 00:54:16,630 --> 00:54:15,119 laboratory work is largely trying to 1648 00:54:18,950 --> 00:54:16,640 understand the 1649 00:54:19,910 --> 00:54:18,960 molecular formation of molecular 1650 00:54:22,870 --> 00:54:19,920 complexity from 1651 00:54:23,990 --> 00:54:22,880 processing ices um and there are a lot 1652 00:54:25,990 --> 00:54:24,000 of ices out there 1653 00:54:27,109 --> 00:54:26,000 on not only in the outer solar system 1654 00:54:28,549 --> 00:54:27,119 but also in the 1655 00:54:30,390 --> 00:54:28,559 dense molecular cloud from which our 1656 00:54:32,870 --> 00:54:30,400 solar system formed 1657 00:54:33,910 --> 00:54:32,880 and uh so getting a sample of ice would 1658 00:54:36,470 --> 00:54:33,920 be great that's 1659 00:54:40,710 --> 00:54:36,480 technologically a real challenge but you 1660 00:54:44,789 --> 00:54:42,230 let's let's give ourselves a couple 1661 00:54:47,670 --> 00:54:44,799 meter core for stratigraphy too 1662 00:54:49,430 --> 00:54:47,680 sure why not i think i want to ask one 1663 00:54:50,150 --> 00:54:49,440 more question before we wrap the episode 1664 00:54:52,470 --> 00:54:50,160 here 1665 00:54:54,230 --> 00:54:52,480 um this one comes from kashish gupta 1666 00:54:56,309 --> 00:54:54,240 she's on facebook today 1667 00:54:57,910 --> 00:54:56,319 and kosh wants to know um as 1668 00:54:59,349 --> 00:54:57,920 astrobiologists not just 1669 00:55:01,190 --> 00:54:59,359 for osiris-rex and studying those 1670 00:55:02,150 --> 00:55:01,200 samples but but in general in your 1671 00:55:04,309 --> 00:55:02,160 research 1672 00:55:06,950 --> 00:55:04,319 what is your favorite piece of equipment 1673 00:55:09,109 --> 00:55:06,960 uh instrument or laboratory technique 1674 00:55:11,109 --> 00:55:09,119 and at what stage of your career did you 1675 00:55:13,990 --> 00:55:11,119 really get into that that that technique 1676 00:55:20,309 --> 00:55:17,190 i can start on this one if you like so 1677 00:55:21,670 --> 00:55:20,319 i really love uh the transmission 1678 00:55:24,789 --> 00:55:21,680 electron microscope 1679 00:55:26,230 --> 00:55:24,799 but i love it in conjunction with 1680 00:55:28,069 --> 00:55:26,240 liquid chromatography and mass 1681 00:55:30,630 --> 00:55:28,079 spectrometry because if i 1682 00:55:31,589 --> 00:55:30,640 take my sample and i extract my organic 1683 00:55:33,510 --> 00:55:31,599 materials 1684 00:55:35,430 --> 00:55:33,520 i can find out all the details about the 1685 00:55:36,230 --> 00:55:35,440 amino acids and other organics that are 1686 00:55:39,190 --> 00:55:36,240 in there 1687 00:55:40,069 --> 00:55:39,200 and then i can take the residual rock i 1688 00:55:42,150 --> 00:55:40,079 can prep it 1689 00:55:43,750 --> 00:55:42,160 for transmission electron microscopy and 1690 00:55:45,349 --> 00:55:43,760 i can tell you about the rock 1691 00:55:47,510 --> 00:55:45,359 those amino acids might have been 1692 00:55:48,549 --> 00:55:47,520 associated with i can tell you about its 1693 00:55:50,710 --> 00:55:48,559 mineralogy 1694 00:55:51,670 --> 00:55:50,720 and the interconnectedness of the 1695 00:55:53,430 --> 00:55:51,680 minerals 1696 00:55:55,510 --> 00:55:53,440 but really as much as i love 1697 00:55:57,109 --> 00:55:55,520 instrumentation anything that allows me 1698 00:56:00,230 --> 00:55:57,119 to get my hands dirty 1699 00:56:03,510 --> 00:56:00,240 in a lab is always going to trump um 1700 00:56:05,910 --> 00:56:03,520 analytical i love mixing together 1701 00:56:09,109 --> 00:56:05,920 you know commentary stimulant or making 1702 00:56:11,270 --> 00:56:09,119 fake asteroid for impacts or 1703 00:56:13,270 --> 00:56:11,280 simulating you know tidal pool 1704 00:56:15,510 --> 00:56:13,280 evaporation and recondensation on the 1705 00:56:17,349 --> 00:56:15,520 earth in a tiny little reactor 1706 00:56:19,430 --> 00:56:17,359 those are the things that i i enjoy the 1707 00:56:21,589 --> 00:56:19,440 most but taken as a whole 1708 00:56:23,589 --> 00:56:21,599 and i think the other part was when did 1709 00:56:27,030 --> 00:56:23,599 i start doing that in my career 1710 00:56:29,349 --> 00:56:27,040 um early on so in 1711 00:56:31,589 --> 00:56:29,359 uh really as an undergraduate when i was 1712 00:56:31,990 --> 00:56:31,599 doing my degree in chemistry i started 1713 00:56:34,789 --> 00:56:32,000 doing 1714 00:56:35,910 --> 00:56:34,799 experimental work and and also looking 1715 00:56:43,270 --> 00:56:35,920 at 1716 00:56:45,270 --> 00:56:43,280 as i went on for schooling and in jobs 1717 00:56:48,630 --> 00:56:45,280 to make sure that i was choosing careers 1718 00:56:51,309 --> 00:56:48,640 and places that would allow me to 1719 00:56:55,349 --> 00:56:51,319 exploit all of my interests 1720 00:56:59,270 --> 00:56:57,430 groovy scott or jason either of you have 1721 00:57:02,470 --> 00:56:59,280 a favorite technique 1722 00:57:03,750 --> 00:57:02,480 uh well i don't have um any technique 1723 00:57:05,349 --> 00:57:03,760 that will let me figure out things i'm 1724 00:57:07,589 --> 00:57:05,359 trying to figure out is a good one for 1725 00:57:09,910 --> 00:57:07,599 me i have a real fascination with these 1726 00:57:11,910 --> 00:57:09,920 isotopes and what they can tell us but i 1727 00:57:13,430 --> 00:57:11,920 guess if i had one technique that's been 1728 00:57:14,390 --> 00:57:13,440 with me the longest would be infrared 1729 00:57:17,190 --> 00:57:14,400 spectroscopy 1730 00:57:18,710 --> 00:57:17,200 i did my thesis work taking an infrared 1731 00:57:21,109 --> 00:57:18,720 spectra of comet dust 1732 00:57:22,789 --> 00:57:21,119 and asteroid dust upper stratosphere 1733 00:57:24,390 --> 00:57:22,799 using the il2 u2 1734 00:57:26,069 --> 00:57:24,400 aircraft that nasa was flying and 1735 00:57:28,870 --> 00:57:26,079 collecting uh 1736 00:57:30,789 --> 00:57:28,880 and then um also took our specter of 1737 00:57:32,470 --> 00:57:30,799 meteorites and then when i came to 1738 00:57:34,150 --> 00:57:32,480 work at ames i flew on the kuiper 1739 00:57:36,710 --> 00:57:34,160 airborne observatory and took 1740 00:57:37,349 --> 00:57:36,720 telescopic data objects throughout the 1741 00:57:41,109 --> 00:57:37,359 universe 1742 00:57:41,990 --> 00:57:41,119 uh in the infrared and then use that to 1743 00:57:43,270 --> 00:57:42,000 compare against 1744 00:57:45,109 --> 00:57:43,280 samples that i make in the 1745 00:57:46,390 --> 00:57:45,119 astrochemistry laboratory where i take 1746 00:57:48,710 --> 00:57:46,400 ices and irradiate them 1747 00:57:50,549 --> 00:57:48,720 and break down molecules make new ones 1748 00:57:51,990 --> 00:57:50,559 and infrared spectroscopy is at least 1749 00:57:53,829 --> 00:57:52,000 one of the techniques we can use while 1750 00:57:54,470 --> 00:57:53,839 we're looking at the isis and this issue 1751 00:57:56,549 --> 00:57:54,480 so 1752 00:57:58,150 --> 00:57:56,559 it's been a real workhorse and 1753 00:57:58,870 --> 00:57:58,160 particularly for someone like me who's 1754 00:58:00,309 --> 00:57:58,880 interested in 1755 00:58:01,910 --> 00:58:00,319 understanding all these materials take 1756 00:58:03,670 --> 00:58:01,920 their history back 1757 00:58:05,109 --> 00:58:03,680 into the interstellar medium we're never 1758 00:58:06,230 --> 00:58:05,119 going to go to a dense molecular cloud 1759 00:58:07,670 --> 00:58:06,240 at least not until someone 1760 00:58:09,270 --> 00:58:07,680 invents a warp drive we're not going to 1761 00:58:11,910 --> 00:58:09,280 go to a 1762 00:58:13,990 --> 00:58:11,920 dense molecular cloud and get sample so 1763 00:58:16,630 --> 00:58:14,000 simulation is kind of the only way to go 1764 00:58:18,069 --> 00:58:16,640 and the only way we can know what to 1765 00:58:18,950 --> 00:58:18,079 simulate what the ingredients in the 1766 00:58:20,710 --> 00:58:18,960 recipe are 1767 00:58:23,349 --> 00:58:20,720 is to take remote sensing with 1768 00:58:25,990 --> 00:58:23,359 telescopes and infrared spectroscopy is 1769 00:58:26,630 --> 00:58:26,000 very powerful for measuring molecular 1770 00:58:31,190 --> 00:58:26,640 bonds 1771 00:58:34,950 --> 00:58:33,750 yeah and my answer is i'm afraid similar 1772 00:58:37,910 --> 00:58:34,960 to eaves 1773 00:58:39,270 --> 00:58:37,920 i started using uh liquid chromatography 1774 00:58:42,549 --> 00:58:39,280 when i was a high school intern 1775 00:58:44,470 --> 00:58:42,559 so it's been a very long time uh and 1776 00:58:45,750 --> 00:58:44,480 coupling that with mass spectrometry 1777 00:58:47,829 --> 00:58:45,760 which i believe that 1778 00:58:49,190 --> 00:58:47,839 uh that our lab at goddard is the first 1779 00:58:50,950 --> 00:58:49,200 one to use 1780 00:58:53,030 --> 00:58:50,960 uh liquid chromatography mass 1781 00:58:53,750 --> 00:58:53,040 spectrometry to study meteoritic amino 1782 00:58:56,150 --> 00:58:53,760 acids 1783 00:58:57,510 --> 00:58:56,160 and so that that work pioneered as has 1784 00:58:59,910 --> 00:58:57,520 led on to new things 1785 00:59:01,750 --> 00:58:59,920 but also say that as great as as it is 1786 00:59:04,549 --> 00:59:01,760 take this technique to pull apart 1787 00:59:05,829 --> 00:59:04,559 complex mixtures it's also really sad 1788 00:59:07,589 --> 00:59:05,839 because it comes at the expense of 1789 00:59:09,270 --> 00:59:07,599 destroying the sample 1790 00:59:10,789 --> 00:59:09,280 and so i'm hoping that someone can come 1791 00:59:14,150 --> 00:59:10,799 up with a way to 1792 00:59:14,710 --> 00:59:14,160 look at the sample in situ uh it as a 1793 00:59:16,230 --> 00:59:14,720 rock 1794 00:59:18,470 --> 00:59:16,240 and pull apart all the individual 1795 00:59:19,990 --> 00:59:18,480 compounds in the mixture 1796 00:59:21,670 --> 00:59:20,000 without having to destroy the rock as 1797 00:59:22,470 --> 00:59:21,680 well but that technology doesn't really 1798 00:59:24,390 --> 00:59:22,480 exist yet 1799 00:59:26,230 --> 00:59:24,400 for at least the ways that the kind of 1800 00:59:28,150 --> 00:59:26,240 information i want 1801 00:59:29,589 --> 00:59:28,160 so there you go again viewers there's 1802 00:59:31,349 --> 00:59:29,599 another future way that you can be 1803 00:59:32,309 --> 00:59:31,359 involved and change the future of this 1804 00:59:34,870 --> 00:59:32,319 research 1805 00:59:36,710 --> 00:59:34,880 uh drzberger sanford and dwarken thank 1806 00:59:37,990 --> 00:59:36,720 you so much for joining us today for ask 1807 00:59:40,309 --> 00:59:38,000 an astrobiologist 1808 00:59:41,109 --> 00:59:40,319 it's been a true pleasure having you on 1809 00:59:43,910 --> 00:59:41,119 fun thank you 1810 00:59:44,870 --> 00:59:43,920 thank you and for all of our viewers who 1811 00:59:47,030 --> 00:59:44,880 are watching 1812 00:59:48,589 --> 00:59:47,040 uh maybe for your own entertainment go 1813 00:59:52,069 --> 00:59:48,599 on twitter use the hashtag 1814 00:59:53,670 --> 00:59:52,079 askastrobio tag at saginorg or tag at 1815 00:59:55,589 --> 00:59:53,680 nasa astrobio 1816 00:59:57,190 --> 00:59:55,599 and just let us know where you would 1817 00:59:59,589 --> 00:59:57,200 want to collect samples from 1818 01:00:01,109 --> 00:59:59,599 in our solar system to bring back to 1819 01:00:02,549 --> 01:00:01,119 earth to study 1820 01:00:04,630 --> 01:00:02,559 and if any of you want to know more 1821 01:00:06,789 --> 01:00:04,640 about the osiris-rex mission 1822 01:00:07,990 --> 01:00:06,799 uh what's been done so far and what lies 1823 01:00:10,870 --> 01:00:08,000 ahead for the future 1824 01:00:12,870 --> 01:00:10,880 you can go to asteroidmission.org to 1825 01:00:13,349 --> 01:00:12,880 find out a whole bunch more about the 1826 01:00:15,270 --> 01:00:13,359 theme 1827 01:00:16,870 --> 01:00:15,280 the mission the science and lots more 1828 01:00:17,990 --> 01:00:16,880 about osiris-rex 1829 01:00:19,990 --> 01:00:18,000 and for those who want to stay in the 1830 01:00:21,349 --> 01:00:20,000 loop for upcoming episodes of ask an 1831 01:00:23,589 --> 01:00:21,359 astrobiologist 1832 01:00:24,549 --> 01:00:23,599 or get more information about 1833 01:00:27,349 --> 01:00:24,559 opportunities 1834 01:00:27,990 --> 01:00:27,359 and news in astrobiology you can sign up 1835 01:00:30,950 --> 01:00:28,000 right now 1836 01:00:32,710 --> 01:00:30,960 for the nasa astrobiology newsletter uh 1837 01:00:35,430 --> 01:00:32,720 that goes out through email and 1838 01:00:36,950 --> 01:00:35,440 announces big things like our show uh 1839 01:00:38,870 --> 01:00:36,960 like when we have a tag 1840 01:00:40,309 --> 01:00:38,880 event and other cool things going on in 1841 01:00:42,069 --> 01:00:40,319 astrobiology for 1842 01:00:43,670 --> 01:00:42,079 all of you to stay up to par with what's 1843 01:00:46,309 --> 01:00:43,680 going on in this realm 1844 01:00:48,150 --> 01:00:46,319 of learning about life in the cosmos so 1845 01:00:49,670 --> 01:00:48,160 a huge thanks again to our panel for 1846 01:00:50,630 --> 01:00:49,680 joining us thanks to everyone for 1847 01:00:56,960 --> 01:00:50,640 watching