This article (accessible to non-experts) is a brief review of the origin and role of water on chondritic asteroids, which has become a high-profile issue with interest from a range of disciplines. Here we discuss the isotopic composition of accreted water, the use of isotopes and mineralogy to infer alteration conditions. We also provide a brief summary of what we have learnt so far about the two sample return missions (Hayabusa2 and OSRIRIS-REx), and how they may help us answer questions about water's role on asteroids.
Publisher link: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/elements/issue/18/3
Free access link: https://hal.science/hal-04028529/document