NASA to Launch Mission to Asteroid in 2016 --Seeking Organic Molecules that may have Seeded Life on Earth

NASA has selected the University of Arizona to lead a sample-return mission to an asteroid. The team is led by Michael Drake, director of the the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. OSIRIS-REx will rendezvous with asteroid 1999 RQ36, extend a sample collecting device and return at least 60 grams (a little over 2 ounces) of pristine material to Earth for analysis.

"It will return samples of pristine organic material that scientists think might have seeded the sterile early Earth with the building blocks that led to life. Such samples do not currently exist on Earth. OSIRIS-REx will also provide the knowledge that will guide humanity in deflecting any future asteroid that could collide with Earth, allowing humanity to avoid the fate of the dinosaurs."

More Here:http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/05/nasa-to-launch-new-science-mission-to-asteroid-in-2016.html