Tomorrow’s sample mass measurement has been canceled to save the sample by this mission and is now preparing to stove the sample soon. The spacecraft is in good health and the mission is confident that the spacecraft has collected more than 60 grams of material. pic.twitter.com/hABL4n3JYN
– NASA’s Osiris-Rex (@OSIRISREx) October 23, 2020
NASA Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen said in a statement: “However, it is not a bad thing that we have to move faster to take samples. We are thrilled to see what appears to be an abundance of science inspiration from this historic moment to many decades to come. “Dante Loretta led the science team and said, ‘The loss of the group is a concern for me, so I encourage the team to stimulate this precious specimen as soon as possible.’
Based on the data, they believe the head has “more than 2 ounces of regolith” and they have adjusted their plans to run as fast as possible. A planned measurement for cutting the sample arm has been canceled to help determine the sample set, as well as breaking burning for the craft.
