"NASA Struggles to Unlock Asteroid Sample"

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission, which aims to return asteroid samples to Earth, has encountered difficulties in opening the container storing the majority of the samples. Two fasteners on the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) could not be removed with the current tools, hindering access to the material. The team is working on new approaches to extract the samples while ensuring their safety. Despite the setback, preliminary analysis of samples found outside the container has revealed the presence of water and carbon, supporting the theory of asteroids' role in the development of life on Earth.