2023-10-06 05:13:29
OK with NASA, the initial healing process of the OSIRIS-REx sample from del asteroide Bennu It is turning out to be slower than expected. Nothing new considering the uniqueness of the sample, so scientists will surely want to take the time to carry out a rigorous analysis.
However, there seems to be a compelling reason that has surprised researchers and that would explain NASA’s timid attitude and would also justify the delay in the study: there is so much Bennu dust covering the inside of the container and the outside of the collection head of samples that disassembly is a little more complicated than the team thought.
Thus, NASA, surprised, has explained that the large amount of material found when the lid of the scientific container was removed has led to the process of dismantling the TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head to begin in a methodical manner.
“The best ‘problem’ we can have is that there is so much material that it is taking us longer than we expected to collect it,” explains OSIRIS-REx deputy curator Christopher Snead of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
TAGSAM is the robotic arm with which OSIRIS-REx collected a significant amount of soil del asteroide Bennu, which was finally delivered to Earth in September following an epic 7-year mission. The TAGSAM head was sealed in the sample container, which OSIRIS-REx dropped on Earth while en route to another asteroid.
Future analyzes of the OSIRIS-REx sample from the asteroid Bennu
Despite the delays, the abundance of material is good news for the mission, as it will allow for a more exhaustive analysis. NASA plans to analyze the samples in a variety of ways, including using a scanning electron microscope, infrared measurements and X-ray diffraction.
“We have all the microanalytical techniques we can use to break them down,” added Lindsay Keller, a member of the OSIRIS-REx sample analysis team. “Almost down to the atomic scale.”
The return capsule containing a sample collected on the asteroid Bennu.Image: Keegan Barber/AFP
In the coming weeks, the conservation team will move the TAGSAM head to a specialized glove box to safely carry out the disassembly process and ultimately reveal the majority of the sample it contains.
Although detailed scientific data is not expected to be provided any time soon, the revelation of the composition of the small, carbon-rich asteroid Bennu is expected to shed light regarding the origins of the Solar System.
Edited by Felipe Espinosa Wang.
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