NASA Scientists now know the ecstasy of unscrewing. stubborn zipper. The last two screws on the lid of the container that had held the sample for months were NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission Preventing researchers from accessing 4.6 billion-year-old asteroid rocks and dust benne. The screws wouldn’t move at all, and there was a risk that they would come loose if they weren’t already. The researchers had to develop and test a special tool to ultimately loosen the fastener while preserving the integrity of the asteroid sample. NASA.
Immediately after recovering the lid, scientists were able to remove 33 of the lid’s 35 fasteners. container When it returns to Earth at the end of 2023.But the last two screws are uncoorperative, this is usually not a problem for some of the world’s smartest gearheads. Except NASA scientists couldn’t try it. trick Because the sample container is inside the glove box, which is protected from the Earth’s atmosphere, people swear when the fasteners are at risk of being punctured or deformed.
This meant that options were limited to tools that were approved by NASA for use within the sensitive environment that housed the containers. Researchers don’t just point a torch at a stuck fastener and call it a day. They had to design something that worked within those constraints, and ended up developing several multi-part tools that looked like a combination of: Use a vise or clamp with a screwdriver to secure the fasteners while loosening them.around NASA:
Curation Processor disassembled the TAGSAM head hardware in mid-October after discovering that 2 of the 35 fasteners could not be removed with tools approved for use in the OSIRIS-REx glovebox. There was a pause.
In response, two new multi-part tools were designed and manufactured to support further disassembly of the TAGSAM head. These tools include newly custom-manufactured bits made from specific grade surgical non-magnetic stainless steel. Hardest metal approved for use in genuine curation glove boxes.
“In addition to the design challenges of being limited to curation-approved materials to protect the scientific value of asteroid samples, these new tools are limited by height, weight, and glovebox sealing that limits the potential for It also needed to function within a space that was defined by arc motion,” said Dr. Nicole Lanning, OSIRIS-REx curator at Johnson. “The curation team showed great resilience and did an incredible job removing these stubborn fasteners from TAGSAM’s heads so we could proceed with disassembly. We are overjoyed with our success.”
NASA goes on to explain that the tool underwent extensive testing and development, including mock tests.
Before the successful removal, the Johnson team tested new tools and removal procedures in a rehearsal lab. After each successful test, engineers increase the assembly torque value until the team is confident that the new tool can achieve the required torque while minimizing the risk of potential damage to the TAGSAM head or contamination of the sample. The test procedure was repeated with an increase in . At the inner.
NASA scientists were overjoyed when the two clasps finally came free, and celebrated their success by posting on Twitter (aka X).
As the container opens and NASA scientists feel a sense of relief as they defeat stubborn and crushed screws, Bennu’s samples are analyzed, cataloged, and sealed for storage. It’s a schedule. Researchers say the asteroid samples contain some of the oldest material to have formed in the solar system.