During the OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid Bennu, an array of highly valuable gems and space dust were collected to be studied, but due to mechanical failure, these materials have been trapped in the collection system since the spacecraft returned to Earth. . land Why are they so valuable and what is their connection to life on the planet?
NASA capsule OSIRIS-REx arrives at Bennu. Photo: Reuters
NASA, after a month of trying, succeeded Release a sample of valuables from the asteroid Bennu. This feat was accomplished as part of the mission OSIRIS-RExIt was collected at approx 70 grams of rocks and dust Almost during his journey 6 billion kilometers This is a near-Earth asteroid.
“Although The sampling head is covered with 35 latchesThe curing team showed impressive resilience and did an incredible job breaking through these stubborn TAGSAM head fasteners. (Touch-and-go model acquisition mechanism) So we can proceed with the division. “We are delighted with the win.”said the doctor. Nicole LunningHead of Security OSIRIS-REx It contains NASA Johnson Space Center Not Houston.
NASA reveals photo of collected asteroid material. Photo: X.
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Houston, we have a problem
Despite having previously acquired a considerable amount of material, NASA revealed in October that the area was just out of reach In a capsule hidden inside a touch-and-go sample acquisition mechanism. This tool is a robotic arm Storage container At one end, faced Difficulties in two out of 35 closures He covered his head like that.
Solving this problem was not an easy task. The NASA Specially designed surgical steel instruments had to be developed to deal with these stubborn closures without damaging or contaminating valuable specimens.
“The new tools also had to work in the tight space of the glove box, which limited their height, weight and potential bow movement,” Lunning said in an official statement.
OSIRIS-REx returns to Earth after 7 years. Photo: Reuters.
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Next steps to analyze the material obtained from Bennu
After finishing the job, NASA shared a photo as promised after the launch. Some samples have been hermetically sealed in storage containers for decades for future study.
This Bennu material analyzed above revealed Abundant water availability in the form of hydrated clay minerals and carbon. “The reason the Earth is a habitable world is that we have oceans and lakes and rivers and rain because these clay minerals landed on the Earth. 4,000 million and 4,500 million yearsmakes our world habitable,” Dante Lauretta, professor of planetary science and cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona and OSIRIS-REx principal investigator, said in October. “So “We see the way water is incorporated into solids.”.
