Critical moments
Critical moments
The OSIRIS-Rex deploys for the first time the robotic arm with which it will take samples from the asteroid Bennu.
Nothing is more demanding than an interplanetary mission. Nobody can go with the toolbox to her if something goes wrong, and there are really a lot of things that can go wrong, all potentially fatal, even the smallest, easy to correct on the ground but out of reach once the probe starts its trip. Therefore, although it is usually the focus of media attention at the launch and once it reaches the goal, all the time that elapses between the two points is far from being quiet. On the contrary, it is when it is verified that all the parts that make up these delicate travelers have endured the takeoff tension and are in good condition. If any of them does not pass the test, the problems begin.
In the case of OSIRIS-Rex his robotic arm, known as TAGSAM (Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanis) is the very heart of the mission, as it will be responsible for taking samples of the asteroid Bennu that later will lead to land. And if we take into account that this probe was built specifically for that purpose, failure would be lost. I could do science with its other instruments, and we would learn a lot about this asteroid, and by extension of this type of celestial bodies, but it would not be more than a shadow of what could have been. It is logical, therefore, that deploying it for the first time, checking that everything in it works as it should, was a critical moment for your ground crew.
And fortunately, despite having been folding and waiting for several years, he responded perfectly. As planned, the engineers of Lockheed Martin they ordered the probe to move the arm in all its range of movements, flexing the joints of his shoulders, elbows and wrist, which he did perfectly, as the SamCam recorded. After a long sleep, and after stretching to get rid of sleep, he is ready for work. "The team is very pleased that TAGSAM has been launched, implemented and is operating as ordered throughout its range of motion", explained Rich Burns, OSIRIS-REx project manager."It was folded for more than two years since the launch, so it's gratifying to see it out of its bonds and have a good behavior"
The Lockheed Martin engineers spent more than a decade designing, building and testing TAGSAM, which includes an arm of 3.35 meters, with three joints, a round sampling head and three bottles of high pressure nitrogen gas.
This test was a test for the big moment, in the middle of 2020, when the OSIRIS will unfold it again, it will descend slowly to the surface of Bennu and will briefly touch the asteroid. An explosion of nitrogen gas will stir the regolith on the surface of the asteroid, which will be trapped in the head of TAGSAM, in an operation of about 5 seconds in duration, after which the probe small maneuvers to move away, while the SamCam camera will take a picture of the head, as it did during this test, to help confirm the taking of material.OSIRIS-Rex is ready for the big moment. All those who worked years, designing each of its delicate components with fear always presents that fail before the harsh conditions of space, can breathe a little more calm.
The "head" of TAGSAM sample taken, extended from the probe. The image was obtained by the SamCam camera on November 14, 2018 as part of a visual review, which also shows how the latter will work and what we will see during the collection of the samples. There are two sets of plates in the upper perimeter, one of which is completely visible in this image. These will allow registering the material that could have been collected during the seconds in which it touches the surface of the asteroid.
This is how the sample collector will work when the key momemto arrives.TAGSAM Testing Complete: OSIRIS-REx Prepared to TAG an Asteroid
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