ACS Webinars - Organic Origins: The Chemistry Hidden in an Asteroid

In a stunning feat of precision and chemistry-driven exploration, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission intercepted a speeding asteroid more than 200 million miles from Earth, collected samples from its surface, and returned them home, making history as the first U.S. mission ever to do so.

Join Scott Sandford of the NASA Ames Research Center as he tells the fantastic true story of the mission to the Asteroid Bennu and how it brought the oldest chemical record in the Solar System. Register now to learn about the striking discoveries including Asteroid Bennu’s samples which contain a rich and diverse array of organic compounds, potentially unlocking molecular clues to how planets and life began.

This ACS Webinar is moderated by Michel Nuevo of the NASA Ames Research Center and coproduced with the ACS PHYS Astrochemistry Subdivision.

What You Will Learn
 

• The OSIRIS-REx mission to Asteroid Bennu: its design, flight, sample collection, and successful return to Earth
• The discovery and characterization of the complex population of organic materials found
• Insights from the pristine samples that reveal the chemistry of our early Solar System

Event Details

• Thursday, January 22, 2026 @ 2-3:15pm ET
   
• Free to attend
   
• Slides will be available on day of the webinar