July 29, 2014 -
We are going to Bennu, a carbonaceous asteroid that records the earliest history of our solar system. We hope it contains the molecular precursors to the origin of life and the origin of our oceans. Bennu is also one of the most potentially hazardous asteroids, with a relatively high probability of impacting the Earth late in the 22nd century. It is important for us to study this object to determine its physical and chemical properties, in case an impact mitigation mission needs to be planned in the future. Finally, asteroids like Bennu represent natural resources of near-Earth space, in the form of water, organics, and precious metals. There is potential for substantial economic development in follow-on exploration of these objects.