NASA has made a groundbreaking announcement, revealing the remaining sample of asteroid Bennu after months of effort. The curation team at NASA has finally removed the final two fasteners on the canister, allowing them to access the remaining sample. This achievement comes nearly four months after the canister was dropped in the Utah desert by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft.
Prior to the lid removal, the team had already collected an impressive 70.3 grams (2.48 ounces) of asteroid material. Creative lead Erika Blumenfeld and project lead Joe Aebersold of the Advanced Imaging and Visualization of Astromaterials team captured a highly detailed, top-down view of the sample using manual high-resolution precision photography and a semi-automated focus stacking procedure.
The next step for the curation team is to remove the metal collar surrounding the canister. They will then prepare a glovebox that will be used to transfer the sample from the Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM) head into sample trays. These trays will be photographed and weighed before being packaged up and stored at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
The road to this point has not been easy. OSIRIS-REx successfully dropped the capsule containing the Bennu sample back in September 2023. However, accessing the canister inside proved to be more challenging than anticipated. Two of the fasteners couldn’t be removed, requiring the team to devise a new plan. Finally, on January 10 of this year, they were able to solve the problem.
Eileen Stansbery, division chief for ARES (Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, expressed her admiration for the team’s dedication and innovation. She stated, “Our engineers and scientists have worked tirelessly behind the scenes for months to not only process the more than 70 grams of material we were able to access previously, but also design, develop, and test new tools that allowed us to move past this hurdle. The innovation and dedication of this team has been remarkable. We are all excited to see the remaining treasure OSIRIS-REx holds.”
While a portion of the sample is already available for the general public to see, it will take some time before we can fully understand what it reveals about asteroid Bennu. In the coming weeks, the team will assess the final mass of the sample, which has already surpassed their initial goal of 60 grams (2.12 ounces). The catalog of all the Bennu samples is expected to be released later this year, providing valuable insights into the composition and nature of this fascinating asteroid.
This achievement by NASA marks a significant milestone in our understanding of asteroids and their potential impact on our planet. The meticulous efforts of the curation team have paid off, and we eagerly await the scientific discoveries that will emerge from the analysis of the Bennu sample. As we delve deeper into the mysteries of our universe, each new piece of information brings us closer to unraveling the secrets of our cosmic neighbors.