The team that ensures the curatorial processing of samples from the planet Bennu collected a total of 70.3 grams of pebbles and dust from the vicinity of the sampling mechanism, thereby surpassing the task of the OSIRIS-REx mission, i.e. delivering at least 60 grams of samples to Earth. The best part is that this material is only a part and the rest has not been processed yet. The aforementioned 70.3 g consists of stones and dust that were found outside the sampling head itself, but also part of the samples from the head itself, which the workers got to through the mylar flap. At the same time, additional material is still inside the TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) sampling head and will be removed later, which will lead to an increase in the weight data of the samples brought.
The situation after opening the lid – in the general view on the left you can see a rectangle marked in white – its detail can be found on the right.
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Last week, the team at the Johnson Center in Houston decided to change the procedure for opening the head of TAGSAM, which contains most of the rocks and dust collected by the probe in 2020. After several attempts, the team found that two of the 35 fasteners on TAGSAM could not be removed using tools. which are currently approved for use in the glovebox. The team is therefore working to develop and implement new procedures to remove the material from the head while keeping it safe and clean. As part of the first step, the team successfully managed to access some of the material by pushing down on the mylar flap and holding it down. This opened the way to the guts of the sampling head and with the help of a shovel and tweezers (depending on the size of the sampled parts) the material could be extracted. The process of collecting and preserving material by this method, together with earlier collection of material that was outside the sampling head, ultimately resulted in exceeding the required minimum sample limit of 60 grams.
Handling samples from the asteroid Bennu.
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The team of experts will now spend several weeks developing and practicing new procedures to extract the remaining samples from the TAGSAM head, while simultaneously processing the recently collected material. The OSIRIS-REx science team has also advanced its plan to characterize the extracted material and has begun analysis of the head samples obtained so far. All curatorial activities related to the samples (including the TAGSAM head) are carried out in a specialized glovebox with an assured nitrogen flow, which is intended to prevent sensitive samples from being exposed to the Earth’s atmosphere. This will preserve their original state, which will be possible to study in the future.
The sampling head of the OSIRIS REx probe with clearly visible samples.
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The tools for any proposed solution to extract the remaining material from the head must first and foremost physically fit inside the glovebox and must not compromise the scientific integrity of the material in any way. In addition, all procedures must comply with clean room operation standards. While the processes to obtain the final piece of material are still in development, the team removed the TAGSAM head from the active nitrogen flow in the glovebox and stored it in a shipping container that is sealed with O-rings and additionally surrounded by a hermetically sealed Teflon bag. This ensures that the samples are kept in a stable nitrogen-rich environment.
Handling the OSIRIS-REx probe head in a protective glovebox.
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2023-10-23 15:14:25
#OSIRISREx #met #limit
