NASA's OSIRIS-REx Mission Exceeds Asteroid Sample Collection Goal Despite Extraction Challenges

Scientists have recovered 70.3 grams of asteroid samples, surpassing the target of 60 grams, but are now facing difficulties in opening the main sample container due to tool limitations, impeding access to additional collected material.

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission has exceeded its asteroid sample collection target, retrieving 70.3 grams of material from asteroid Bennu, surpassing the original target of 60 grams.
The team has faced challenges in opening the mission's primary sample container, the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM), due to tool limitations. Two of its 35 fasteners could not be removed with the current tools available.
The asteroid samples are being processed in a specialized glovebox with a nitrogen flow to prevent exposure to Earth's atmosphere and potential contamination.
Initial analysis of the collected material indicates high carbon content and water. Further study of these samples could provide insights into the origins of life on Earth.
Although NASA continues to face extraction challenges, the agency plans to create new methods to access the remaining samples in the TAGSAM without compromising their scientific integrity