Since landing almost three months ago, NASA has faced challenges in opening the container holding soil samples from the asteroid "Bennu." While the braking parachute failed during the landing in the Utah desert, the main parachutes compensated for its absence. However, a new issue arises as the lid of the sample container cannot be fully opened due to two screws being unresponsive. Experts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston are attempting to retrieve at least part of the valuable cargo using forceps since the container cannot be fully opened. Additionally, there is material located outside the container.
So far, NASA has secured 70.3 grams of samples from the asteroid "Bennu," distributing them partially to research teams, including Frank Brenker and his team at Goethe University in Frankfurt.
NASA is making every effort to open the container and access the valuable asteroid material. Dante Lauretta, the chief scientist of the "Bennu" mission, speculates that there may be an additional 30 to 70 grams of material inside the container, characterizing the situation as a kind of "Schrödinger's sample" due to the unknown content.
The space agency plans to develop a new tool to open the container. However, this proves challenging as the samples must be extracted within a "glovebox" filled with nitrogen to prevent contamination. NASA is working on tools made of contamination-resistant materials, but the exact timing for opening the container remains uncertain. According to a statement to Gizmodo, depending on the schedule for construction and testing, an opening is expected in the first quarter of 2024.
Despite the challenges, research teams are already providing initial analyses of the asteroid material. Fragments from the asteroid "Bennu" appear to be rich in volatile chemical compounds preserved in space since the birth of the solar system over 4.5 billion years ago. This material offers a valuable insight into the past, making the entire mission worthwhile, according to Dante Lauretta.