NASA is in slightly of a pickle with its container of grime from asteroid Bennu, dropped at Earth in September after an epic seven-year project.They know there is a great, juicy haul of asteroid in there – however they’re having bother getting the Contact-and-Pass Pattern Acquisition Mechanism, or TAGSAM, container open. It is simply sealed too smartly.The issue is that the TAGSAM must be opened in a distinct glovebox designed to reduce Earth contamination. Scientists wish to find out about the pattern in as pristine a state as will also be controlled; to that finish, all extraction procedures want to happen in a sealed blank field underneath an energetic drift of nitrogen that scientists can get entry to by the use of connected gloves.
A stereoscopic symbol of a portion of the pattern. (Erika Blumenfeld, Joseph Aebersold, Brian Might, Claudia Manzoni)The TAGSAM is the pinnacle of the gathering arm that reached out and grabbed a pattern of grime from the outside of asteroid Bennu again in 2020. The TAGSAM head was once then sealed in a canister that the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft yeeted at Earth on its strategy to its subsequent commentary goal.That canister has been opened, and a number of asteroid grime has been accrued from outdoor the TAGSAM. That is just right information.However the TAGSAM head was once sealed with 35 fasteners – and two of the ones fasteners cannot be got rid of with the gear recently authorized to be used within the glovebox. Certain, they may take the TAGSAM head out of the glovebox, however that will open the pattern as much as important ranges of contamination.The pattern shall be opened; however it is going to take some cunning maneuvering. Any gear should are compatible within the glovebox, no longer compromise the integrity of the pattern, and care for the blank room requirements.”The workforce,” NASA’s Erin Morton writes in a weblog put up, “has been running to increase and enforce new approaches to extract the fabric within the head, whilst proceeding to stay the pattern secure and pristine.”
The outdoor of the pattern collector, with bonus asteroid mud. (NASA/Erika Blumenfeld & Joseph Aebersold)And there may be extra just right information, too. The workforce was once hoping to snare no less than 60 grams (2.1 oz.) of Bennu mud with the TAGSAM. By way of moderately scoping out subject matter from the go back and forth canister and across the outdoor of the TAGSAM, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx workforce has controlled to gather 70.3 grams (2.48 oz.) of asteroid Bennu subject matter.Throughout the container is much more grime, as much as an estimated 250 grams (8.8 oz.), this means that the science alternatives are going to be superb.It will take a couple of weeks to determine an answer. Whilst the science workforce works in this, the TAGSAM has been popped again into the switch container, sealed with an O-ring, and sealed with a teflon bag full of nitrogen, to stay it blank and uncontaminated.And, whilst we wait to look what is within the field, there may be that 70.3 grams of asteroid to start out sciencing. OSIRIS-REx introduced on its project all of the long ago in 2016. We will wait a couple of extra weeks to look the glowing black grime it introduced again to us.
