Participation in the 85th Meteoritical Society Annual Meeting (MetSoc): Six Presentations from ASRG

The 85th Annual Meeting of the Meteoritical Society (MetSoc) took place in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, from July 14 to 18.
While Japan was moving toward the peak of summer, Australia was entering winter. Yet inside the conference hall, the many exciting research presentations created an atmosphere so lively that it felt far removed from the cold season outside.

In the returned sample sessions, results were presented on asteroid Ryugu samples that had been shared with researchers from our group. These covered a wide range of studies, including spectroscopy, petrology, and isotope chemistry. Comparisons were also made with Bennu samples returned by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission and with CI chondrites that had fallen to Earth, confirming once again their close similarities. One particularly interesting topic was the comparison with the CI chondrite “Oued Chebeika 002,” discovered in Morocco in June 2024. Although this meteorite shows little weathering or alteration, some discussion suggested it may not be as pristine as Ryugu or Bennu. In addition, as expected at MetSoc, research was shared on meteorites from differentiated bodies such as Mars, and even on the possible origin of Earth’s oceans.

Six members of ASRG attended the meeting, each giving presentations and taking part in discussions. Topics included organic matter in the Ryugu samples, the shape of the Bennu samples, and infrared spectroscopic features, as well as reports on JAXA’s curation work and future plans for science communication.

For me, Perth’s cool winter climate was ideal, and I felt more focused than usual. Returning to Japan, with its intense summer heat and crowded cities, was not easy, but I came back determined to build on the valuable discussions I had at the meeting.
(Written by Sakurai, Researcher at ASRG)