Edward A. Cloutis¹, Richard P. Binzel² and Michael J. Gaffey³

¹Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9, Canada
²Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 54-426, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
³Department of Space Studies, University of North Dakota, Box 9008, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9008, USA

Asteroids are arguably the most accessible remnants of building blocks of the early Solar System and an essential piece of the terrestrial planet–formation puzzle. Determining their compositions and physical properties can provide important and otherwise unobtainable information concerning the origin, structure, and dynamic history of the Solar System, as well as insights into the sources of materials from which the terrestrial planets were constructed. Our understanding of the compositional structure of the asteroid belt and of individual asteroids has advanced significantly since the 1970s. Strong associations between asteroids and meteorites are emerging thanks to multitechnique observations, the synthesis of observations and modeling, in situ measurements, and sample-return missions.

Reference
Cloutis EA, Binzel RP and Gaffey MJ (2014) Establishing Asteroid–Meteorite Links. Elements  10:25-30.
[doi:10:11-17.10.2113/gselements.10.1.25]
Copyright: The Mineralogical Society of America

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