Nasa can’t open its asteroid capsule - Tortoise
www.tortoisemedia.com
The team behind Nasa’s Osiris-REx mission is struggling to open fully the container holding the bulk of the sample from asteroid Bennu. Since the 4.5 billion year-old sample landed in the Utah desert earlier this month, scientists have already managed to collect 70.3 grams of rocks and dust lying on the outside of the container, …
  • Destraight@lemm.eeEnglish
    22·
    8 months ago

    A procedure? Just cut the fucking fasteners off. It’s only 2 of them. Just grab a grinder and cut the fasteners off.

    • freewheel@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      8 months ago

      Which would cause dust, not only from the fastener but also the grinding wheel and the motor itself in the device. And while, yes, this can be mitigated with a simple plastic bag, that procedure has to be tested and approved. The whole point is to avoid contaminating the sample so nobody jumps to the wrong conclusions on analysis.