Last fall, planetary scientists got the delivery of a lifetime, a sample from an asteroid named Benu.

It was an amazing journey to a world that nobody had ever been to before and we believe and it's looking good as we analyze the sample that it delivered the essential building blocks for life.

It's Wednesday, March 27th, and you're listening to Science Friday. I'm Cyfry producer Rasha Irriti.

It took seven years in space for the Osiris Rec spacecraft to travel to

Benu, collect a chunk of the asteroid, and return it to the scientists here on Earth.

It was a high stakes, high rewards mission that will hopefully hold

clues to some of the galaxy's greatest mysteries. Here's Ira Flato.

Ever since an asteroid slammed into the earth wiping out the dinosaurs, we've wondered if there's another asteroid like that one lurking out there with our name on it.

Well, it turns out there might be.

It's called Benu, and it's on course to possibly hit us in 2182.

I was reminded of this horrifying possibility

in the opening pages of the asteroid hunter by Dante Loretta.

His memoir takes us on an awesome journey behind the scenes of a mission in 2016 that sent a probe called Osiris Rex all the way to Benu and brought back a sample six months ago.

This mission was a huge success and scientists have been hard at work picking apart all that space dust.

Dr Dante Loretta, author of the asteroid hunter, as scientists journeyed to the dawn of our solar system is a planetary scientist at the

famed University of Arizona in Tucson and he joins me now.

Welcome to Science Friday.

Thank you, Ira. It's great to be here.

Nice to have you.

You called Benu the quote, the most dangerous rock in our solar system.

Tell us why you think so.

Well, Benu is a near-Earth asteroid that's over 1,600 feet in

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