BARUCCI, MARIA ANTONIETTAMARIA ANTONIETTABARUCCIPERNA, DavideDavidePERNAPopescu, M.M.PopescuFornasier, S.S.FornasierDoressoundiram, A.A.DoressoundiramLantz, C.C.LantzMerlin, F.F.MerlinFulchignoni, M.M.FulchignoniDOTTO, ElisabettaElisabettaDOTTOKanuchova, S.S.Kanuchova2020-12-212020-12-2120180035-8711http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12386/29041We acknowledge the financial support from the NEOShield-2project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 pro-gram (contract no. PROTEC-2-2014-640351). DP has received fur-ther funding from the Horizon 2020 programme also under theMarie Sklodowska–Curie grant agreement no. 664931. This projectwas also supported by the French Planetology National Programme(PNP) of CNRS/INSU, co-funded by CNES.In the framework of the Near Earth Objects (NEOs) observational campaign carried out within the NEOShield-2 project, we identify nine new small D-type asteroids with estimated diameter less than 600 m. The link with meteorites for this class of asteroids is weak and the best fit obtained is with the Tagish Lake meteorite for seven of them. D-type asteroids are believed to contain the most pristine material of the Solar system and could have delivered the pre-biotic material to the Earth. Our results double the known sample of the D-types in the NEO population and triple the candidates of this class for a sample-return mission (at very low ∆V). Our finding increases considerably the number of targets for sample-return mission. A sample-return mission to a D-type asteroid will provide a major progress in understanding the early history of the Solar system and to investigate the origin of life on the Earth.STAMPAenArticle10.1093/mnras/sty5322-s2.0-85045478743000432659800014https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-abstract/476/4/4481/49115402018MNRAS.476.4481BFIS/05 - ASTRONOMIA E ASTROFISICAERC sectors::Physical Sciences and Engineering::PE9 Universe sciences: astro-physics/chemistry/biology; solar systems; stellar, galactic and extragalactic astronomy, planetary systems, cosmology, space science, instrumentation::PE9_6 Stars and stellar systems