NASA Successfully Obtains Access to Pristine Asteroid Samples From Bennu

Saturday - January 13 2024, 11:33 UTC - 10 months ago

NASA's curation team has successfully obtained access to the remaining samples from the OSIRIS-REx mission that collected dust and rocks from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. They overcame challenges in disassembling the sampling head and have already collected over 70 grams of material. The samples will provide valuable insights into the formation of our solar system, and NASA is committed to sharing them with the global scientific community for further study.

After months of hard work and innovative problem-solving, NASA's curation team at the Johnson Space Center in Houston has successfully disassembled the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) and gained access to the remaining samples recovered from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. These precious samples, consisting of dust and rocks, were collected by the OSIRIS-REx mission launched in 2016 and arrived on Earth on September 24, 2023. This marks the first U.S. mission to return samples from an asteroid, making it a significant event for the space community.

The tiny amount of asteroid samples collected is extremely valuable as it provides critical insights into the solar system's creation 4.5 billion years ago. With full access to the samples now obtained, the next step is for the researchers to disassemble the TAGSAM head gear and take ultra-high-resolution photos of the sample within it. The sample will then be extracted and weighed, allowing the team to determine the total mass of material collected from Bennu.

However, the team faced some difficulties in the disassembly process as two of the 35 fasteners proved challenging to remove with the equipment approved for use in the OSIRIS-REx glovebox. This presented a significant roadblock, but the team's engineers and scientists came up with an innovative solution - designing and creating two multi-part tools to aid in the disassembly process. This determination and dedication of the team have been remarkable, as noted by Eileen Stansbery, division chief for ARES (Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science) at Johnson.

The success of obtaining over 70 grams of asteroid material not only exceeds NASA's goal but also speaks to the significance of the OSIRIS-REx mission and the agency's commitment to advancing our understanding of the cosmos. The samples collected from Bennu will be held at room temperature and at -112 Fahrenheit, providing scientists with a variety of materials to study. The curation team intends to share a full catalog of the samples with the scientific community this spring, allowing for worldwide access and collaboration in further understanding our solar system's formation.

In a statement, Dante Lauretta, the mission's principal investigator and Regents Professor at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, expressed excitement for the next steps in the mission, saying, "This success reaffirms the significance of OSIRIS-REx and our commitment to advancing our understanding of the cosmos. We eagerly anticipate the next chapter as we share these precious samples with the global scientific community and continue our journey of discovery." .