We've identified a new type of object that by the shape of its orbit is definitely a main-belt asteroid, but by its appearance is definitely a comet. It fits into both categories.

That tells you something about its origin. Does it come from the asteroid belt or does or come from a comet? What are all the different pathways that material makes on its way to Earth? Those are the things we're interested in.

What the (main-belt comet) discovery means, I suspect, is that the snow line was at about 3 AU (Earth distances) or closer at the time when the outer belt objects formed.

The real limitation to determining the temperature is the assumption that there is a single temperature to be measured.

The appearance of the nucleus of this comet was kind of surprising, and different from other comet nuclei that have been recording in spacecraft type detail, so that was quite exciting.

It would be helpful to have a similar type of mission go to an asteroid and compare the results, ... That mission is Deep Interior. It has been proposed in the past to NASA's Discovery program, but has not been accepted.