NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, tasked with collecting samples from the asteroid Bennu, has exceeded its objectives by retrieving more than double the required amount, the space agency announced on Thursday.
According to NASA, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft brought back over 4.29 ounces of material from Asteroid Bennu when the sample capsule was delivered to Earth in September of the previous year.
This amount significantly surpasses the mission's science goals, which only necessitated 60 grams of material.
The excess collection occurred even before the complete opening of the TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism) head, as processors at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston gathered small rocks and dust from inside the large canister hosting the TAGSAM head.
While the sample container successfully landed on Earth in September, the curation process experienced a temporary halt in October due to two fasteners being stuck, obstructing the opening of the container. Subsequently, curation engineers designed, produced, and tested new tools in January, allowing the resumption of the TAGSAM head disassembly.
The remaining Bennu asteroid sample was carefully poured into wedge-shaped containers after revealing it.
Initially, about 70.3 grams of additional particles were collected, combined with the 51.2 grams collected during the pour, bringing the total to 121.6 grams. Scientists plan to preserve at least 70% of this sample for future research opportunities worldwide.
An initial analysis of the material stuck under the arm used for sample collection indicated a high carbon content and the presence of water on Bennu, suggesting crucial building blocks of life on the 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid.
The extracted material from Bennu will be distributed in containers for scientists globally to study. Over 200 scientists worldwide will examine the properties of this extraterrestrial dust, contributing to a deeper understanding of celestial bodies beyond Earth.