NASA's Struggle to Open Asteroid Sample Container Persists After 2 Months

NASA is still unable to open the canister containing an asteroid sample, two months after its discovery. The sample, collected from asteroid Bennu, holds important clues about the origin of the solar system and the formation of Earth. Despite successfully retrieving 70.3 grams of rocks and dust from outside and inside the sample head, two of the 35 fasteners on the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) cannot be removed with the current tools approved for use. NASA is now focusing on developing new tools to access the remaining 250 grams of the sample.