The Asteroid Hunter

"""In this captivating, behind-the-scenes account of the OSIRIS-REx NASA asteroid sample return mission, PI Dante Lauretta provides an unmatched portrayal of the joys and challenges from an insider's perspective. A fascinating read.""--Sara Seager, Professor of physics and planetary science at MIT and award-winning author of The Smallest Lights in the Universe and a ""Just outstanding! A thrilling, behind the scenes, insider account of how a historic space mission was conceived, won, built, and flown.""--Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission and author of Chasing New Horizons ""The Asteroid Hunter is an inspiring memoir of the boldest mission NASA has ever flown: the journey to the most dangerous asteroid in the solar system, which contains the secrets of how life began on Earth. Dante Lauretta's poetic account of the thrilling journey establishes him firmly in the pantheon of great explorer-authors of our time. The Asteroid Hunter is a work no space enthusiast should miss.""--David W. Brown, author of The Mission ""A beautifully written, first-hand report from the scientific leader of an awe-inspiring NASA mission, aimed at the pioneering delivery of material from an ancient asteroid to Earth. While the book educates us about the technological heights of human ingenuity, the returned asteroid material would teach us about our cosmic roots within the solar system and the organic molecules that sourced life on Earth.""--Avi Loeb, Professor of Science at Harvard University and bestselling author of Extraterrestrial"