Abstract
OSIRIS-REx will return pristine samples of carbonaceous asteroid Bennu. This article describes how pristine was defined based on expectations of Bennu and on a realistic understanding of what is achievable with a constrained schedule and budget, and how that definition flowed to requirements and implementation. To return a pristine sample, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft sampling hardware was maintained at level 100 A/2 and <180 ng/cm2 of amino acids and hydrazine on the sampler head through precision cleaning, control of materials, and vigilance. Contamination is further characterized via witness material exposed to the spacecraft assembly and testing environment as well as in space. This characterization provided knowledge of the expected background and will be used in conjunction with archived spacecraft components for comparison with the samples when they are delivered to Earth for analysis. Most of all, the cleanliness of the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was achieved through communication among scientists, engineers, managers, and technicians.
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Abbreviations
- AAM3:
-
Asteroid Approach Maneuver 3
- ACS:
-
attitude control system
- ARC:
-
NASA Ames Research Center
- ATLO:
-
Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations
- ATP:
-
adenosine triphosphate
- CCWG:
-
Contamination Control Working Group
- CDR:
-
Critical Design Review
- CEWG:
-
Contamination Engineering Working Group
- CFD:
-
computational fluid dynamics
- DAC:
-
DSMC Analysis Code
- DART™:
-
Direct Analysis in Real Time
- DNA:
-
Deoxyribonucleic acid
- DSMC:
-
Direct Simulation Monte Carlo
- DTGS:
-
deuterated glycine trimer
- EA:
-
combustion elemental analyzer
- EACA:
-
\(\varepsilon\)-amino-\(n\)-caproic acid
- EDL:
-
Earth descent and landing
- EDU:
-
engineering design unit
- EDX:
-
energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
- EMP:
-
electron microprobe
- FTIR:
-
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
- GC:
-
gas chromatography
- GC-IRMS:
-
GC combustion isotope ratio MS
- GSFC:
-
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- ICP-MS:
-
inductively coupled plasma MS
- IEST:
-
Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology
- IRMS:
-
isotope ratio mass spectrometer
- ISO:
-
International Organization for Standardization
- JSC:
-
NASA Johnson Space Center
- KSC:
-
NASA Kennedy Space Center
- LA-ICPMS:
-
laser ablation inductively coupled plasma MS
- LC:
-
liquid chromatography
- LM:
-
Lockheed Martin Space Systems
- LPF:
-
large payload fairing
- MAVEN:
-
Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN Mission
- MRD:
-
mission requirement document
- MS:
-
mass spectrometry
- NASA:
-
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- NRC:
-
National Research Council
- NVR:
-
nonvolatile residue
- OCAMS:
-
OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite
- OCSSG:
-
Mars Organic Contamination Science Steering Group
- OLA:
-
OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter
- OSIRIS-REx:
-
Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer
- OTES:
-
OSIRIS-REx Thermal Emission Spectrometer
- OTU:
-
operational taxonomic unit
- OVIRS:
-
OSIRIS-REx Visible and Infrared Spectrometer
- PDR:
-
preliminary design review
- PFTE:
-
polytetrafluoroethylene
- PHSF:
-
KSC Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility
- PI:
-
principal investigator
- ppb:
-
parts per billion
- ppm:
-
parts per million
- REXIS:
-
Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer
- SEM:
-
scanning electron microscopy
- SRC:
-
sample return capsule
- TAG:
-
touch-and-go
- TAGSAM:
-
touch-and-go sample acquisition mechanism
- TEM:
-
transmission electron microscopy
- ToF-SIMS:
-
time-of-flight secondary ion MS
- UHP:
-
ultrahigh purity
- ULA:
-
United Launch Alliance
- UV:
-
ultraviolet
- VC-HS:
-
visibly clean-highly sensitive
- VIF:
-
Atlas V vehicle integration facility
- XANES:
-
X-ray absorption near edge structure
- μ-L2MS:
-
microprobe two-step laser desorption/laser ionization MS
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Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Contracts NNH09ZDA007O, NNG12FD66C, and NNM10AA11C issued through the New Frontiers Program. We wish to thank the hundreds of people and their families who labored and sacrificed to make OSIRIS-REx a reality.
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OSIRIS-REx
Edited by Dante Lauretta and Christopher T. Russell
The authors E. Beshore, J.W. Harris, M.G. Martin, J.M. Vellinga are retired.
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Dworkin, J.P., Adelman, L.A., Ajluni, T. et al. OSIRIS-REx Contamination Control Strategy and Implementation. Space Sci Rev 214, 19 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-017-0439-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-017-0439-4