Add to calendar

Please join the Physics & Astronomy Department for our next Seminar Speaker Series event!

Ancient Fragments: Origins and Evolution of Asteroid (101955) Bennu and the OSIRIS-REx Mission with Dr. Erica Jawin

Snacks at 4:30 pm, talk begins at 4:45 pm

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission investigated near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu and collected over 100 g of rocky material from its surface, after several years spent orbiting the asteroid. In September 2023, the spacecraft safely delivered its sample to Earth. Bennu proved to be a surprising object from the very first images showing an unexpectedly rugged surface, documented active particle ejections, and an extremely weak surface probed during sample collection. This lecture will discuss the origins of Bennu’s rubble pile structure, its journey across the Solar System towards its current orbit, and its recent surface evolution, as well as initial perspectives from analyses of the returned sample.

Erica Jawin is a postdoctoral research geologist in the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Erica earned her Bachelors degree at Mount Holyoke College in 2012, and her Masters and PhD at Brown University. Since 2018 Erica has worked at the Smithsonian Institution, first at the National Museum of Natural History, and currently at the Air and Space Museum. Erica’s research investigates a range of planetary surface processes including explosive volcanism on the Moon and Mercury, investigating glaciation and polar processes on Mars using radar sounder data, and characterizing Bennu’s global geology through its boulder population. Erica is a science team member on several active NASA missions including the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) experiment on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, and the OSIRIS-APEX mission to asteroid Apophis.

Event Details

See Who Is Interested

0 people are interested in this event

User Activity

No recent activity