Thursday, March 7, 2024

Finally, NASA opens the can

 

I was following with interest the OSIRIS-REx mission sample return. There were lots of places where things could have gone wrong (and nearly did -- the drogue parachute didn't open). 

But the main parachutes deployed, the capsule came down, they carefully took it to the lab, and then, speaking of not opening, they couldn't get the main sample container open because two screws were stuck. 

If you didn't see what happened, they had to design a new special screwdriver to get those two recalcitrant screws to turn.  After considerable effort, they finally opened up the main chamber. And if you'll remember back to when it was collected from asteroid Bennu, there was nearly too much in the container. So now there is lots and lots of sample to analyze.


NASA finally opens OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample canister after freeing stuck lid
"While 70.3 grams (2.48 ounces) of material had already been accessed from the outside of the sampler head, known as the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), the bulk of the asteroid sample material remained trapped within the capsule.

According to NASA's statement, the bulk of the asteroid material is now accessible after two of the 35 fasteners on TAGSAM that could not be removed using the existing tools approved for use inside the OSIRIS-REx sample container were finally freed."

Let the analyzing begin.


 

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