A First Look at NASA's Bennu Asteroid Sampler

All images: NASA

High-Resolution Images Released after Delay

The high-resolution images of NASA's Bennu asteroid sampler have finally been released more than 3.5 months after the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft returned them to Earth. A report by ScienceAlert said the delay was due to two pesky fasteners that were holding the sampler lid in place.

Asteroid Material Untouched for Billions of Years

The asteroid material inside the sampler is thought to have remained untouched for 4.5 billion years, ScienceAlert reported.

Why did the Delay Happen?

The sample was dropped off during OSIRIS-REx's flyby of Earth on Sept 24 last year. Though the outer capsule opened easily, the main TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go-Sample-Acquisition-Mechanism) head having the majority of the sample remained tightly sealed despite NASA's best efforts. On Jan 10, NASA's OSIRIS-REx curation team successfully removed the two fasteners that were holding the sampler lid in place.

The Next Steps

With the problem now being solved, the curation team will remove the round metal collar and prepare the glovebox to transfer the remaining sample from the TAGSAM head into pie-wedge sample trays. These trays will be photographed before the sample is weighed, packaged, and stored at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.