The Asteroid Hunter - Looking for Life in the Universe with Dr. Dante Lauretta

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Dr. Dante Lauretta, an award-winning Regents Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, joins us for an enlightening discussion on today's episode of It's an Honor. As the director of the and the leader of NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return mission, Dr. Lauretta brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. His contributions to NASA have been nationally recognized, with the OSIRIS-REx mission receiving the prestigious Collier Trophy and the 2024 Goddard Memorial Trophy. In this episode, we delve into the OSIRIS-REx mission, and how research on the asteroid ‘Bennu’ has shaped our understanding of life formation and the potential for extraterrestrial life. Dr. Lauretta also discusses the future of astrobiology at the University of Arizona, his new memoir , and his collaboration with Queen guitarist Brian May on their book, Bennu 3-D: Anatomy of an Asteroid. Additionally, he shares insights about the newly established Astrobiology Center, which serves as a hub for diverse scientific endeavors, providing bold and transformative dialogue to make astrobiology discoveries relevant to the experiences of all people on Earth.

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Astronauts left the last seismometers on the moon’s surface during the Apollo program 50 years ago. University of Arizona planetary scientist Angela Marusiak says her team is developing the newest device to detect moonquakes and they hope to have it deployed during NASA’s upcoming Artemis 3 mission. 

Angela Marusiak spoke with Tim Swindle, professor emeritus in planetary science at the University of Arizona.

Listen to Arizona Science podcast: A Mission to Detect Moonquakes on the Lunar Surface - NPR