NASA's OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft collected Enough Materials for Experiments-NASA Confirmed

 

We know that a NASA's spacecraft named Osiris-Rex has successfully touched the surface of asteroid Bennu to collect some samples of the asteroid.  This samples will help scientists to perfectly analyzed the puzzle of how our solar system formed.

Now scientists have confirmed that the spacecraft has collected more than enough material from the asteroid Bennu and they believed that those materials are enough to fulfill their experiments. 

The spacecraft took images as an evident and scientists noticed that the sample collector head appeared to be full of asteroid particles and that some of these particles appeared to be escaping slowly from the sample collector, called the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) head.

"Bennu continues to surprise us with great science and also throwing a few curveballs," said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for science at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "And although we may have to move more quickly to stow the sample, it's not a bad problem to have. We are so excited to see what appears to be an abundant sample that will inspire science for decades beyond this historic moment."

NASA said the images also show that inactivity to the spacecraft and the instruments may lead to sample loss. Because of this fear, NASA decided to forego the Sample Mass Measurement to minimize any acceleration to the spacecraft. 

From here, the OSIRIS-Rex team will focus on stowing the sample in the Sample Return Capsule (SRC), where any loose material will be kept safe during the spacecraft's journey back to Earth.
"We are working to keep up with our own success here, and my job is to safely return as large a sample of Bennu as possible," said Dante Lauretta.

Mission team confirmed that spacecraft OSIRIS-REx is still in good condition and further update will be available soon.

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