RESTON, Va., July 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AIAA is pleased to announce the 2024 AIAA von Kármán Lectureship in Astronautics is awarded to Dante S. Lauretta, Regents Professor, University of Arizona, Tucson. The lecture, “Unlocking the Secrets of Our Solar System’s History: The OSIRIS-REx Journey,” will be presented Tuesday, 30 July, 10:45 a.m. PT, during 2024 ASCEND, 30 July – 1 August, Las Vegas.

Lauretta’s lecture delves into the challenges, discoveries, and scientific implications of OSIRIS-REx as it unveils the ancient secrets of our solar system’s history. Lauretta will discuss the mission’s planning and execution, from the spacecraft’s voyage to asteroid Bennu’s surface to the precision required to retrieve a pristine sample of this celestial time capsule and deliver it to Earth for scientific analysis. He will explore the groundbreaking findings from the returned sample, which are already revolutionizing our comprehension of solar system formation and evolution. This lecture not only showcases human ingenuity and perseverance, but also celebrates the collaborative ethos driving the forefront of space exploration.

After receiving B.S and B.A. degrees from the University of Arizona, he obtained his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis in 1997. Transitioning to Arizona State University for postdoctoral work, Lauretta embarked on crucial research analyzing the mineral composition and formation processes of meteorites and asteroids. His pivotal move to the University of Arizona in 2001 marked the beginning of his most significant contributions as a faculty member within the historic Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. Lauretta’s exceptional work in cosmochemistry led to his selection as the principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx in 2011. The mission launched in 2016. The Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft reached Bennu in 2018, collected a sample in 2020, and commenced its return to Earth in 2021. The samples landed on Earth on 24 September 2023.

Named in honor of Theodore von Kármán, a world-famous authority on aerospace sciences, this lectureship honors an individual who has performed notably and distinguished themselves technically in the field of astronautics. The lecture will be delivered in person at 2024 ASCEND, as well as recorded and available on demand.

AIAA is committed to ensuring that aerospace professionals are celebrated for their achievements, innovations, and discoveries that make the world safer, more connected, more accessible, and more prosperous. Visit AIAA’s Honors and Awards Program for more information.

Registration for 2024 ASCEND is open. Journalists from around the world are invited to cover 2024 ASCEND; press passes are available for credentialed media by request.

Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About AIAA

AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

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SOURCE AIAA American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

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