Scientists collect new samples in a container that arrived from the asteroid Bennu Techno Doctor | magazine

The Astromaterials Team at NASA's Johnson Center has completed dismantling the OSIRIS-REx mission container to reveal the rest of the Bennu asteroid sample inside.

It was not possible to remove two latches on the top of the container in the initial sample collection process, which was organized after the device arrived on Earth in September. New tools had to be made to remove them, a process that ended on January 10details European press.

Once the head was removed, the team was able to observe the material inside, which will be collected in a precise process before being weighed, packaged and stored in the Goddard Center's Astronomical Materials Collection.

The remaining sample material includes dust and rocks up to about one centimeter in size. The final mass of the sample will be determined in the coming weeks. Members of the processing team had already collected 70.3 grams of asteroid material from the sample instruments before removing the cover, exceeding the agency's goal of bringing at least 60 grams to Earth, NASA reports.

The curatorial team will publish a catalog of all Bennu samples later this year, allowing scientists and institutions around the world to submit research or submit applications.