NASA returned its first sample of an asteroid to Earth last yr , landing a samplecollected from asteroid Bennu in the Utah desert in September . Researchers were capable to extract70 gram of materialfrom the case shot that had been carried back to Earth by the OSIRIS - REx spacecraft , making this the largest asteroid sample ever bestow to Earth . The scientists involve knew there was more material inside the mechanics , but getting at it proved hard — until now , as NASA has announced it has now managed to open up the troublesome mechanism .
You might think it would be an soft job to unscrew a canister shot and deck out the material inside , but extraction was a lengthy and expert operation . That ’s because the focal point was on preserving as much of the precious sample as possible , trying not to let any of the particles get suffer . The upshot was with two of the 25 fasteners that held the sampling inside the accumulation chemical mechanism . The mechanics is continue inside a glove box to keep any loss , and there were only sure tools useable that work with the glove boxful . So when the fastener would n’t open with the putz they had , the team could n’t just go at them with any other tool .
The technologist educate tools specifically for working on the two fasteners , which have now been removed . The tool involve custom - made character , composed of a exceptional type of operative steel which is hard enough to wreak on the fastener without risking doing any damage .
“ In addition to the design challenge of being limited to curation - approved material to protect the scientific value of the asteroid sampling , these new tools also need to function within the tightly - bound blank of the glovebox , specify their height , weight , and possible arc social movement , ” explained Nicole Lunning , OSIRIS - REx curator at NASA ’s Johnson Space Center , in astatement . “ The curation squad showed impressive resilience and did incredible work to get these obstinate fasteners off the TAGSAM read/write head so we can cover disassembly . We are overjoyed with the success . ”
With the fasteners remove , the team will now be able-bodied to mask the mechanics holding the sample , phone the Touch - and - Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism , or TAGSAM , and take out the full sample . They will photograph the remaining part of the sample that is still within the TAGSAM before removing it and weighing it , to see how much fabric is in the total sample . The sample is being shared by institutions across the US and internationally .
“ Our railroad engineer and scientists have worked tirelessly behind the scenes for calendar month to not only process the more than 70 Hans C. J. Gram of material we were able-bodied to access previously , but also plan , originate , and test unexampled tools that let us to move past this vault , ” sound out Eileen Stansbery , division chief for ARES ( Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science ) at Johnson . “ The innovation and dedication of this team has been remarkable . We are all excited to see the remaining treasure OSIRIS - king holds . ”
