NASA Opens OSIRIS-REx's Asteroid-Sample Canister (space.com) 21
Mike Wall writes via Space.com: OSIRIS-REx's asteroid-sample canister just creaked open for the first time in more than seven years. Scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston lifted the canister's outer lid on Tuesday (Sept. 26), two days after OSIRIS-REx's return capsule landed in the desert of northern Utah. "Scientists gasped as the lid was lifted," NASA's Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) division, which is based at JSC, wrote Tuesday in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The operation revealed "dark powder and sand-sized particles on the inside of the lid and base," they added.
That powder once resided on the surface of an asteroid named Bennu, the focus of the OSIRIS-REx mission. OSIRIS-REx launched toward the 1,650-foot-wide (500 meters) Bennu in September 2016, arrived in December 2018 and snagged a hefty sample from the space rock in October 2020 using its Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism, or TAGSAM. The asteroid material landed in Utah inside OSIRIS-REx's return capsule on Sunday (Sept. 24), then made its way to Houston by plane on Monday (Sept. 25). It will be stored and curated at JSC, where the team will oversee its distribution to scientists around the world.
Researchers will study the sample for decades to come, seeking insights about the the solar system's formation and early evolution, as well as the role that carbon-rich asteroids like Bennu may have played in seeding Earth with the building blocks of life. But that work isn't ready to begin; the ARES team hasn't even accessed the main asteroid sample yet. Doing so requires disassembly of the TAGSAM apparatus, an intricate operation that will take considerable time.
That powder once resided on the surface of an asteroid named Bennu, the focus of the OSIRIS-REx mission. OSIRIS-REx launched toward the 1,650-foot-wide (500 meters) Bennu in September 2016, arrived in December 2018 and snagged a hefty sample from the space rock in October 2020 using its Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism, or TAGSAM. The asteroid material landed in Utah inside OSIRIS-REx's return capsule on Sunday (Sept. 24), then made its way to Houston by plane on Monday (Sept. 25). It will be stored and curated at JSC, where the team will oversee its distribution to scientists around the world.
Researchers will study the sample for decades to come, seeking insights about the the solar system's formation and early evolution, as well as the role that carbon-rich asteroids like Bennu may have played in seeding Earth with the building blocks of life. But that work isn't ready to begin; the ARES team hasn't even accessed the main asteroid sample yet. Doing so requires disassembly of the TAGSAM apparatus, an intricate operation that will take considerable time.
And the message said... (Score:1)
Genuine Space Dust
Made in Red China.
Re: (Score:3)
Genuine Space Dust
Made in Red China.
You had one opportunity and you blew it.
Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.
Mission Outline (Score:4, Interesting)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
The TAGSAM illustration at 4:33 is interesting if you aren't already familiar with how it worked.
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They also posted a short video about the celebratory dinner, after they'd opened the capsule.
https://youtu.be/UxqVFmig5AA?s... [youtu.be]
Possible Error In Summary (Score:3, Funny)
'Researchers will study the sample for decades to come'. Alien eggs hatch faster than that, I'm afraid. We will be nothing but empty, drained husks by then. Thanks a lot, O wise ones.
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Exactly what I thought too, did they open it in a insulated clean room? Maybe even use robots to open it...
Just a while ago, USA forbid the payload from an in orbit medical lab to re-enter the atmosphere, go figure...
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The reentry license for the medical lab was denied because of flight safety issues, nothing to do with any fears of contamination. Basically the FAA wanted to make sure the returning capsule wouldn't crash into an airliner.
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I saw a picture of the 3 guys in street clothes standing around the pod as it laid on the ground. No safety suits, re-breathers or anything safety related you would assume would be used under these conditions.
Oh, and there was also the young Alien (Score:2)
They think it might be inside the lead scientist now, but they're not sure.
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Well, at least the problem is contained.
For now.
On Twitter? (Score:3, Interesting)
What are agencies like NASA still doing on Twitter? Do they really want people going there to read announcements?
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Say what you will about the blue ticks but they do keep US government agency capabilities in high regard. NASA on X be like mundane artist showing at event instantly credited with making Citizen Kane, Thriller album, painting Mona Lisa, building the Notre Dame and all sorts of amazing stuff they couldn't even imagine.
Code 712 (Score:2)
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Is anyone advising the President on the possibility of ordering up a Code 712 on the NASA processing lab that opened this container?
"Who will occupy the White House after 2024?"
Campaign strategy: "Send in a Rhesus"
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Wait... (Score:2)
Wait wait wait... Haven't I seen this before? [wikipedia.org]
MIssed opportunity (Score:2)
The person opening the canister looks inside and says, My God, It's Full of Stars [knowyourmeme.com] ...
NASA (Score:1)