For months now, portions of an asteroid gathered by a U.S. probe on a billion-mile journey remained inaccessible to scientists. These fragments were enclosed within a return capsule at a NASA facility, hindered by two stubborn fasteners.
This week, NASA successfully overcame the challenges of these fasteners, finally opening the canister containing material retrieved from the "potentially hazardous" asteroid Bennu, as per the space agency's official announcement on January 11.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson speaks during a press conference for the OSIRIS-REx sample unveiling at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on October 11, 2023.
NASA Triumphs: Unlocking Bennu Asteroid Sample Cache
The sample, weighing approximately 8.8 ounces (250 grams), consists of rocky space debris collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. This material is believed to harbor some of the earliest precursors to life and marks the first-ever acquisition of a space rock by a NASA mission. But even before they were able to access the space rock sample, NASA has collected 2.5 ounces (70 g) from the accessible portion.
Initially, NASA's attempts to access the sample were hindered by two stuck fasteners on the canister's lid. To overcome this obstacle, NASA engineers developed new tools and successfully unsealed the container on January 10. These tools, designed to fit within the confined space of the glovebox, successfully removed the stubborn fasteners, enabling the team to proceed with the disassembly.
Before the successful removal, the team conducted rigorous testing in a rehearsal lab, progressively increasing torque values to ensure the new tools achieved the necessary torque without risking damage to the TAGSAM head or contamination of the sample.
Eileen Stansbery, chief of NASA's ARES division, acknowledged the dedication of the team, highlighting their tireless efforts to process the initially accessible material and design innovative tools.
The remaining bulk sample will undergo further disassembly steps to become fully visible, allowing image specialists to capture ultra-high-resolution pictures while it remains inside the TAGSAM head. Subsequently, this portion will be removed, weighed, and the total mass of Bennu material captured by the mission will be determined.
In the coming spring, the curation team plans to release a catalog of the OSIRIS-REx samples, making them available to the global scientific community.
Asteroid Bennu Samples Might Contain Clues to Life in the Solar System
With the canister opened, NASA plans to proceed with additional disassembly steps, allowing for the photographing, extraction, weighing, and processing of the remaining sample. Small pieces scraped from the lid have been sent globally for analysis, and soon, the contents found inside will follow suit.
Bennu, labeled a potentially hazardous asteroid with a 1-in-2,700 chance of impacting Earth in 2182, holds significance beyond its potential threat. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasizes the asteroid's importance as the largest carbon-rich sample ever returned to Earth. The presence of carbon and water molecules is crucial in understanding the origins of elements essential for life on our planet.
Earth's water, older than the planet itself, likely arrived through asteroid and comet impacts. Bennu, a B-type asteroid rich in carbon, may contain primordial molecules present during Earth's early life. OSIRIS-REx mission scientists hope to find biological precursors, such as uracil, inside the Bennu sample, similar to discoveries on the asteroid Ryugu by Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft.
The OSIRIS-REx mission carefully selected a landing site on Bennu, deploying a Touch-and-Go Sample-Acquisition Mechanism. Upon contact, nitrogen was released to secure the landing and prevent sinking. Debris collected in the canister is globally analyzed, providing insights into solar system formation and Earth's life origins.
RELATED ARTICLE: Asteroid Bennu: Samples of the Potentially Hazardous Asteroid Now Available For Viewing in 1st Public Display in Smithsonian Museum
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