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In the early hours of Wednesday, a probe called OSIRIS-REx, after decades of preparation, successfully obtained a sample of material with its robotic arm from the asteroid Bennu, 320 million kilometers away, but it appears to have collected too many samples. In the photos received on Thursday, it can be seen that due to too much rock, the probe container did not close its door. Although NASA researchers were concerned last week about the number of samples (up to two kilograms) that could be sent home from the asteroid, the minimum 60 grams required for testing is currently not guaranteed.
Engineers are currently helpless, trying to get the probe back to its capsule as soon as possible to get home safely. Originally they wanted to measure if the sample was sufficient by rotating the container, but now it has been abandoned to prevent more rock from coming out of the holder. Because of this, it is not possible to know how many samples the shipment will return.
The material samples will return to earth in 2023, seven years after the start. The goal of the $ 800 million mission (converted to HUF 250 billion) is to know the basic components of the Solar System.
Japan is currently awaiting the return of its second probe, which sampled another asteroid last December.
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