NASA triumphantly announced on Thursday that they have successfully released an elusive asteroid sample, previously ensnared by two resilient fasteners. This breakthrough comes after an intricate and prolonged effort spanning several months.
The space agency’s OSIRIS-REx mission had already secured approximately 2.5 ounces (70 grams) of asteroid rocks and dust from the near-Earth celestial body, Bennu, situated nearly 4 billion miles away. However, in October, NASA disclosed that a portion of this invaluable material remained inaccessible within a specialized capsule embedded in the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism.
Elaborating on the challenge, NASA highlighted that the mechanism was secured by 35 fasteners, with two proving particularly obstinate. Dr. Nicole Lunning, OSIRIS-REx curation lead at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, lauded the team’s tenacity, stating, “The team showcased remarkable resilience, devising innovative tools from surgical steel, the only metal sanctioned for use in our pristine curation environments.”
Prior to confronting the adamant fasteners, meticulous testing ensued within a simulated lab environment at the Johnson Space Center. This rigorous evaluation ensured that the newly devised tools could exert the requisite force without compromising the precious asteroid samples.
Although the specifics of the newly liberated material remain concealed as of Thursday, NASA anticipates executing a sequence of additional disassembly steps. Once completed, the concealed sample will undergo documentation, extraction, and precise weighing procedures.
Earlier analyses of Bennu’s material unveiled the presence of water in hydrated clay minerals and carbon formations. Such discoveries fortify scientific theories positing the manner in which water potentially seeded Earth billions of years ago, as elucidated by OSIRIS-REx principal investigator, Dante Lauretta, a distinguished professor at the University of Arizona.
Moreover, NASA disclosed that previously obtained Bennu samples have been hermetically sealed for extensive future research, reinforcing the mission’s profound significance in advancing planetary science.
