Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

A Microfluidic Approach for the Study of Ice and Clathrate Hydrate Crystallization
Published on: August 18, 2022
Evidence for widespread hydrated minerals on asteroid (101955) Bennu
V E Hamilton1, A A Simon2, P R Christensen3
1Department of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA.
None:
Early spectral data from the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission reveal evidence for abundant hydrated minerals on the surface of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu in the form of a near-infrared absorption near 2.7 microm and thermal infrared spectral features that are most similar to those of aqueously altered CM carbonaceous chondrites. We observe these spectral features across the surface of Bennu, and there is no evidence of substantial rotational variability at the spatial scales of tens to hundreds of meters observed to date. In the visible and near-infrared (0.4 to 2.4 microm) Bennu's spectrum appears featureless and with a blue (negative) slope, confirming previous ground-based observations. Bennu may represent a class of objects that could have brought volatiles and organic chemistry to Earth.
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