Continuing preparations for NASA curation of the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample
N.G. Lunning1, K. Righter1, R. C. Funk2, C.S. Snead1, W. D. Connelly2, S. Martinez2, M. Montoya2, J. L. Plummer2,
K. K. Alums2, M. Rodriguez2,
1
Astromaterials Curation, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058 USA
2Jacobs/JETS, Astromaterials Curation, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058 USA
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected an estimated 250-gram asteroid sample, completed its Bennu asteroid operations phase,and is on its way to return the asteroid sample to Earth on September 24, 2023 [1]. Construction of the OSIRIS-REx curation
cleanroom (ISO 5) at NASA Johnson Space Center was completed in late 2021 and has been subject to ongoing monitoring forcontamination knowledge [2,3]. The OSIRIS-REx curation cleanroom is inside of a lab suite with pass-throughs to an adjacentstaging area and to an adjacent microtomy lab (ISO 7), which also separate it from the NASA Hayabusa2 cleanroom (ISO 5).
In addition, a non-cleanroom space (OSIRIS-REx section lab) was built outside of the cleanroom suite for anticipated sample
preparation activities that cannot be conducted in the curation cleanroom. Preparations for sample recovery and curation build
on work that spans most of the last decade [e.g., 4] This presentation will cover curation preparation for the OSIRIS-REx
sample over the last few years and plans for curation immediately following Earth return.
Recovery
The OSIRIS-REx curation team is involved in detailed planning for recovery of the sample return capsule (SRC) at the Utah
Testing and Training Range (UTTR). This planning and preparation builds on lessons learned from the Genesis and Stardust
recovery operations that also took place at UTTR. Our preparations involve plans for both nominal and off-nominal landing
scenarios. For off-nominal landing scenarios, as a lesson learned from the environmental sensitivity of the returned Ryugu
samples, a substantial factor is the potential sensitivity of the returned Bennu asteroid sample to environmental contaminationand degradation, which may be much greater than that of the Genesis and Stardust samples. This includes the importance of, as
rapidly as safe and feasible, getting the returned sample onto a nitrogen gas (GN2) purge to protect it from oxygen andhumidity. In nominal landing scenarios, the sample canister that includes the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism(TAGSAM) head will be flown from Utah to Houston for further disassembly at NASA JSC.
Spacecraft disassembly at NASA JSC
In Houston, the sample canister will remain under GN2 purge until it is transferred to a GN2 glovebox in the OSIRIS-REx
curation cleanroom. The sample canister will be opened inside of a glovebox that was specifically designed to accommodate
removing its lid. The curation team has been rehearsing this process and other hardware disassembly and sample handlingprocesses in glovebox mockups to refine disassembly techniques. In addition, rehearsals are helping to prepare the team for theintense hardware and sample handling that will occur during preliminary examination (PE). After the sample canister lid isremoved, the TAGSAM head will be revealed and its condition documented. It is unknown to what extent Bennu dust will
have migrated from inside the TAGSAM head outward to cover the interior of the canister lid. Shortly after documentation of
the interior of the canister lid and the exterior of the TAGSAM head, the TAGSAM head will be removed and weighed on astand. The nominal weight of the empty TAGSAM (and the stand) will be subtracted from the weight of the returned
TAGSAM head holding sample to get the first estimate of the mass of the returned bulk sample. Next, the TAGSAM head will
be sealed inside of a transfer container and moved to a second specially designed glovebox for further documentation anddisassembly.
The first operations in the glovebox designed for TAGSAM head disassembly will focus on the contact pads, which have beenpreviously described [5]. The contact pads and associated particles will be visually examined, carefully documented in place,relevant hardware will be further disassembled, then the contact pads will be removed and containerized. Following
containerization of the contact pads, disassembly of the TAGSAM head will continue until only several components remain
holding the returned asteroid sample. At this point the sample will be gently poured off the remaining hardware, which will befollowed by documentation of the bulk sample poured from inside the TAGSAM head into a set of trays for more detailed
imagery and storage. The containers that returned samples, contact pads, and flight witness plates are stored inside of will betested to quantify the time internal they are able to maintain an anoxic environment outside of a curation glovebox [6].
Laboratory monitoring described by [3] will continue throughout PE (the six months of after Earth return) and beyond. In
addition, witness plates will be deployed to monitor the interiors of gloveboxes in which the spacecraft hardware will bedisassembled and asteroid samples will be processed.

Catalog Release
PE will culminate in the initial public release of the OSIRIS-REx returned sample catalog around the end of March 2024. We
anticipate the OSIRIS-REx return sample catalog will grow over time as more individual particles undergo basic
characterization. After the release of the catalog in March 2024, the collection will be open for sample requests from the entire
community. As is the case for all NASA’s astromaterials collections, a collection-specific allocation board will be convened toreview OSIRIS-REx sample requests.
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