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On October 22, the asteroid probe OSIRIS-REx, which sampled from the asteroid Bennu, took too many samples and found that the collection cover did not close properly, and a difficult sample leaked from the gap in the lid. I said it was.
NASA decided to advance the storage of SRC samples of the original capsule return capsule, which was scheduled on November 2, to prevent loss of collected samples. The decision was made due to the abundance of samples taken from Bennu, and it is said that when returning to Earth, it is working around the clock to speed storage in the SRC to protect as many samples as possible.
The storage of samples in the SRC, like most other Osiris-Rex tasks, is not done automatically, but must be done while the control team monitors the situation. At each stage of operation, telemetry data and image data around the sample storage device are sent to the control team and waited for team confirmation.
What is cumbersome is that communication between the probe and the ground now takes 18 minutes one way. However, since bidirectional communication is required once per work step, it takes about 36 minutes step by step, even at the shortest point. The team must continue to evaluate the placement of the TAGSAM robotic arm for Osiris-Rex sample acquisition to ensure that the collection head properly enters the SRC and does not interfere with the storage process.
All of this is expected to take days. Hopefully, the sample is stored in SRC, sealed, and parachuted onto the ground when returning to Earth. Related information can be found here .
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