Livermore's case for getting to study Bennu rested on a reputation built over decades.

It's a competitive process to become a participating scientist that allows you to receive a sample of Bennu and be part of the science team that does this work.

NASA wants you to prove to them you're eligible and are capable of doing the sophisticated analysis that you promise to do.

In order to do this type of work, you need to be a leading expert in your field.

You need to be able to do these very sophisticated isotopic measurements, and we are world experts here at the lab in analyzing very small samples with very advanced analytical tools, and it specifically is related to the ability to measure isotopes in these rocks using mass spectrometers.

And these isotopes then in turn tell you about where the material formed, how it formed, and when it formed.

Each lithology could carry a slightly different history.And each one needed to be decoded.

We use a technique known as mass spectrometry.