Dr. Dante Lauretta

Regents Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry 

University of Arizona

Community Lecture  Thursday, April 10, 2025  6:00 - 7:00 PM 

Russel H. Kirkhof Center, Room 2250 Grand River Room (Parking available in Lots H2 and H4)

Life in the Cosmos - The Search for Consciousness and Biology in the Universe

Chemistry Seminar  Friday, April 11, 2025  1:00 - 2:00 PM 

Russel H. Kirkhof Center, Room 2204 Pere Marquette Room (Parking available in Lots H2 and H4)

Journeys on the Asteroid Frontier - The Engineering Behind NASA's OSIRIS - REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission 

Community Lecture   Life in the Cosmos - The Search for Consciousness and Biology in the Universe 

This presentation is for groups that want to be awed by the majesty of the Universe. Dante has spent his career unraveling the secrets of our early Solar System. He guides the audience through the four-billion-year history of life on Earth then takes them soaring through the solar system to visit ancient Mars, the deep oceans of Jupiter’s moons, and distant exoplanets. This journey involves deep questions about humanity, the nature of consciousness, and the beauty of life. The audience is left with a deep appreciation of their special place in the cosmos.

Chemistry Seminar  Journeys on the Asteroid Frontier - The Engineering Behind NASA"s OSIRIS - REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission 

Dante provides an overview of the technological wonder that is OSIRIS-REx – history’s greatest asteroid-exploring robot. The mission achieved many firsts in spaceflight, garnering two Guinness World Records in the process. After years of focused effort, Dante’s team successfully guided the spacecraft to a precision touchdown on an asteroid 200 million miles from Earth. Along the way, the asteroid constantly challenged the team, resulting in quick-thinking and creative problem solving. Attendees will hear firsthand how the depth of human ingenuity, working together as a team, can achieve the seemingly impossible.

Dr. Dante Lauretta is a Regents Professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. He is an expert in near-Earth asteroid formation and evolution. He is the leader of NASA's OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return mission. OSIRIS-REx is the United States' premier mission to visit one of the most Potentially Hazardous near-Earth Asteroids, survey it to assess its impact hazard and resource potential, understand its physical and chemical properties, and return a sample of this body to Earth for detailed scientific analysis. The spacecraft launched in September 2016 and began its journey to Bennu, a carbon-rich, near-Earth asteroid. The spacecraft rendezvoused with Bennu in 2018 and successfully obtained a sample in October 2020. The spacecraft embarked on its return voyage to Earth on May 10, 2021. Sample return to Earth occurs in 2023. He also maintains an active research program in Cosmochemistry and Meteoritics.