NASA can't open its asteroid capsule
NASA can't open its asteroid capsule
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...
There is a discussion on Hacker News, but feel free to comment here as well.
They should try pouring hot water on the lid and then twist it with a tea towel.
If that doesn't work, try whacking the edges with a heavy handled butter knife
If it didn't work, they should flip it and hit the lid against the floor or a counter. Works everytime.
My wife gives me things to open, im willing to volunteer.
My pride dictates that i can not fail
They should ask their older siblings to open it for them.
A procedure? Just cut the fucking fasteners off. It's only 2 of them. Just grab a grinder and cut the fasteners off.
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.
Congratulations you just ruined a sample that took an insane amount of effort to collect and retrieve.