SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – After months of meticulous work, NASA’s curation team has successfully unveiled the remaining sample of asteroid Bennu, which was dropped in the Utah desert by the spacecraft OSIRIS-REx. The team recently removed the final two fasteners on the canister, clearing the way for the opening of the Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism (TAGSAM) head and providing access to the previously inaccessible material. Prior to this breakthrough, the team had already collected a substantial amount of asteroid material, weighing in at 70.3 grams (2.48 ounces).
To capture a detailed view of the sample, the Advanced Imaging and Visualization of Astromaterials team, led by Erika Blumenfeld and Joe Aebersold, utilized manual high-resolution precision photography and a semi-automated focus stacking procedure. The resulting photo offered a top-down perspective, highlighting the intricacies of the sample.
The curation team’s next course of action involves removing the metal collar surrounding the canister and preparing a glovebox. This closed environment will facilitate the transfer of the sample from the TAGSAM head into sample trays. The trays will subsequently undergo photography and weighing before being carefully packaged and stored at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
The process leading up to this point has been challenging. In September 2023, OSIRIS-REx successfully dropped the capsule containing the Bennu sample, but accessing the canister proved to be more difficult than anticipated. Two fasteners initially posed a problem, requiring the team to formulate a new plan. Finally, on January 10 of this year, the issue was resolved.
Eileen Stansbery, division chief for ARES (Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, acknowledged the exceptional work of the team involved in overcoming this hurdle. Stansbery mentioned the remarkable innovation and dedication displayed by the engineers and scientists. The anticipation is high to uncover the remaining treasure tucked within the OSIRIS-REx sample.
While a portion of the sample is already on display for the general public, it will take some time before the full picture of what it reveals about asteroid Bennu emerges. In the coming weeks, the team will meticulously evaluate the final mass of the sample, which has already exceeded their target of 60 grams (2.12 ounces). The complete catalog of Bennu samples is set to be released later this year, shedding light on the secrets held by this extraterrestrial material.