NASA picks up debris from Bennu asteroid but also suffers from ‘leakage’

NASA has managed to use the Osiris-Rex space probe to collect debris from the asteroid Bennu, located 334 million kilometers from Earth. The probe’s primary mission has thus been successful, although some of the grit is leaking out of the receptacle.

NASA said that after landing earlier this week, “more than enough” space debris was collected by the probe to consider the mission a success. The space agency wanted to collect at least 60 grams to take to Earth, and they succeeded. Although it has not been announced exactly how much material has been collected, it is ‘much more’ than the desired 60 grams.

Although sufficient material has been collected, the probe does suffer from a ‘leak’. The lid of the container does not seem to be closed properly because there are stones in between, causing material to flow out. It cannot be ruled out that more material will ‘leak’, but NASA has taken measures, including slowing the spacecraft’s acceleration, to ensure that as little as possible is lost.

In the near future, NASA will make efforts to store the material collected on the asteroid Bennu in the Sample Return Capsule and return it to Earth. The Osiris-Rex probe is scheduled to return to Earth in 2023.