Posts Tagged: mission
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission collected more Bennu asteroid samples than first thought
NASA has revealed that it has already processed 70.3 grams of rocks and dust collected by the OSIRIS-REx mission from asteroid Bennu. That means the mission has way exceeded its goal of bringing 60 grams of asteroid samples back to Earth — especially since NASA scientists have yet to open the primary sample container that made its way back to our planet in September. Apparently, they're struggling to open the mission's Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) and could not remove two of its 35 fasteners using the tools currently available to them.
The scientists are processing the samples inside a specialized glovebox (pictured above) with a flow of nitrogen in order to keep them from being exposed to our atmosphere and any contaminants. They can't just use any implement to break the container's fasteners open either: The tool must fit inside the glovebox, and it also must not compromise the samples' integrity. NASA has sealed the primary container sample for now, while it's developing the procedure to be able to open it over the next few weeks.
If you're wondering where the 70.3 grams of rocks and dust came from, well, NASA collected part of it from the external sample receptacle but outside TAGSAM itself. It also includes a small portion of the samples inside TAGSAM, taken by holding down its mylar flap and reaching inside with tweezers or a scoop. NASA's initial analysis of the material published earlier this month said it showed evidence of high carbon content and water, and further studies could help us understand how life on Earth began. The agency plans to continue analyzing and "characterizing" the rocks and dust it has already taken from the sample container, so we may hear more details about the samples even while TAGSAM remains sealed.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasas-osiris-rex-mission-collected-more-bennu-asteroid-samples-than-first-thought-083605172.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
NASA ends its Lunar Flashlight mission
NASA has pulled the plug on its Lunar Flashlight project, which was designed to look for sources of ice on our nearest neighbor. The agency spent the last few months trying, and failing, to get the craft to generate the necessary amount of thrust to get the small satellite to its intended destination. Officials say that the issue was likely caused by debris buildup in the fuel lines, which prevented the CubeSat from working to its full potential.
The “briefcase sized” Lunar Flashlight first launched in December, and was developed by students at Georgia Tech. Once deployed, it was expected to start a four-month journey to the moon, after which point it would look for surface water ice at the moon’s perpetually-dark south pole. Unfortunately, despite a months-long effort to remedy the issue, the craft will proceed past Earth and then fly into the orbit, but hopefully not too close to, the sun.
NASA is choosing to take a glass half-full approach to the failure, pointing to the success of many of the project’s components. Barbara Cohen, principal investigator at the Goddard Space Flight Center, said that while it’s disappointing, the mission proved the efficacy of several tools first used on the satellite. And that researchers "collected a lot of in-flight performance data on the instrument that will be incredibly valuable to future iterations."
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-ends-its-lunar-flashlight-mission-101557786.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
SpaceX Crew Dragon completes historic mission with an ocean landing
SpaceX’s history-making Crew Dragon mission has come to a close two months after it began. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley successfully landed in the Atlantic Ocean at 2:48PM Eastern after starting their return to Earth nearly 20 hours earlier…
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Two more astronauts join SpaceX’s first crewed mission to the ISS
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NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission will use a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket
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Europe’s space agency approves the Hera anti-asteroid mission
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NASA reopens Apollo mission control in time for Moon landing anniversary
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SpaceX completes its first US national security mission
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Rocket Lab launches NASA’s first dedicated cubesat mission
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Audi Sport’s e-tron GT will be based on Porsche’s Mission E
Audi's performance Sport division announced that will introduce a four-door high-performance EV as part of Audi and VW's grand electrification plans. The E-Tron GT will be based on the Porsche Mission E platform and built alongside the E-Tron Quattro…
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NASA is reviewing candidates for its next Solar System mission
NASA might be focusing on Mars recently, but it hasn't forgotten the rest of the Solar System. The agency has begun reviewing the 12 proposals it received for the New Frontiers program, the same one that gave rise to New Horizons, Juno and other nota…
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The ESA’s ExoMars mission lander is still missing
The European Space Agency is still in the midst of investigating what happened to ExoMars' Schiaparelli lander, which seemed to disappear 50 seconds before it was supposed to land. At the presscon the agency held earlier, Andrea Accomazzo, ESA's head…
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Rosetta’s 5 billion-mile mission through space coming to an end September 30
The European Space Agency says that, come September 30, its Rosetta spacecraft’s 5 billion-mile mission will end. Launched on March 2, 2004, Rosetta has spent the past 12 years sending extraordinary photographs of our galaxy back to Earth.
The post Rosetta’s 5 billion-mile mission through space coming to an end September 30 appeared first on Digital Trends.