A piercing tool built by ESA is set to open a Moon soil container from Apollo 17 that has actually gone unblemished for nearly 50 years. Credit: ANGSA science group
A pretty special present unwrapping will soon occur– a piercing tool developed by ESA will open a Moon soil container from Apollo 17 that has actually gone unblemished for almost 50 years. The opening will permit the extraction of precious lunar gases which might have been protected in the sample.
Analysis of the gaseous volatiles will enable scientists to better comprehend the geology of the Moon and assist engineers to develop much better tasting tools and methods for future objectives to the Moon or even Mars.
The gas extraction experiment belongs to the bigger Apollo Next-Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) program that coordinates the analysis of pristine Moon samples from the Apollo period. And for the very first time ever, ESA is involved in the opening of soil returned from the Moon.
Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan preparing to collect samples 73001 and 73002 on the Moon in 1972. Gene Cernan collected the sample from a landslip deposit that cascaded down into the Taurus-Littrow Valley. The Apollo 17 astronaut hammered a 70 cm long round tube into the surface to draw out a core sample of the lunar soil. Credit: NASA
” The opening and analyses of these samples now, with the technical advancements accomplished considering that the Apollo period, can allow brand-new clinical discoveries on the Moon. This can also inspire and notify a new generation of explorers,” states Francesca McDonald, science and task lead of ESAs contribution to ANGSA.
Francesca and colleague Timon Schild took a trip last month to NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA, to provide the piercing tool and train the lunar sample curation group on how to run it.
Francesca McDonald, science and project lead of ESAs contribution to ANGSA, and coworker Timon Schild took a trip in November 2021 to NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA, to deliver the piercing tool and train the lunar sample curation group on how to run it. ESAs piercing tool, jokingly called the “Apollo can opener” amongst the team, can puncture the Moon sample vacuum container to assist capturing the trapped gases as they get away. Credit: ANGSA science group
” It is a privilege to be able to work amongst the gold mine of ancient Moon samples that have actually witnessed the history of our Solar System, and be a part of a program that can assist to reveal their tricks,” adds Francesca.
Sample 73002, the upper area of a double drive tube core sample drawn out from Apollo 17 landing website (paired with lower section 73001 which still stays sealed in a special vacuume container called a CSVC). The core samples material comes from a lunar landslide occasion in the Taurus Littrow Valley landing website of Apollo 17.
The tool now stands-by to be utilized on the Apollo sample container in the coming weeks.
Lunar origins
Astronaut Gene Cernan gathered the sample on the Moon in 1972 from a landslip deposit that cascaded down into the Taurus-Littrow Valley. The Apollo 17 astronaut hammered a 70 cm long cylindrical tube into the surface area to extract a core sample of the lunar soil.
The lower half of this core sample was sealed in a vacuum tight container on the lunar surface area. Back in the world, the container was put in an extra vacuum chamber where it has sat undisturbed till this day.
Scientists believe that there may be loosely bound gases, such as hydrogen, helium and noble gases still trapped in the sample container.
” The piercing tool is an option for accessing the gases. We are eager to learn how well the vacuum container protected the sample and the vulnerable gases,” says Francesca.
The international effort can assist establish new sample return containers and procedures, especially for water-ice rich samples from lunar polar areas and future martian samples.
Operations of a lunar can opener
ESAs piercing tool, jokingly called the “Apollo can opener” among the team, can puncture the Moon sample vacuum container to help recording the caught gases as they leave.
The delicate gases are then collected in dedicated canisters thanks to an extraction manifold developed by a partner group at Washington University in Saint-Louis, USA.
A piercing tool built by ESA is set to open a Moon soil container from Apollo 17 that has gone unblemished for almost 50 years. Credit: ANGSA science group
The gas sample containers will be sent out to specialized labs all over the world, including Europe, for more comprehensive research studies.
” Each gas element that is examined can assist to tell a various part of the story about the origin and evolution of volatiles on the Moon and within the early Solar System,” states Francesca.
The deal with lunar product imposed a lot of stringent guidelines for material options, cleanliness and running procedures. Prior to leaving ESTEC, the end product went through strict cleansing and baking (heating to 180 degrees Celsius for 72 hours in a vacuum oven) to guarantee meeting science and curation requirements. Credit: ANGSA science team
A distinct development and style difficulty
ESA established the “Apollo can opener” over a duration of about 16 months in a really global effort. Scientific and technical professionals from 6 various groups and 7 nationalities throughout 2 ESA websites worked with the ANGSA consortium, with support from the lab centers at ESTEC, ESAs primary innovation.
” This piercing tool is an one-of-a-kind system built for the sole purpose of puncturing the so-called 73001 Apollo sample container,” states Timon Schild, who led the advancement at ESAs Spaceship EAC group.
The deal with lunar material imposed a great deal of rigid rules for material choices, cleanliness and operating procedures. All the information came from 50-year-old files.
” Some of the qualities of the sample container were just unidentified. All in all, developing the tool was a difficulty, but also exceptionally motivating and a satisfying task to work on,” adds Timon.
Lessons for future Moon and Mars missions
Looking ahead, the lessons learned through the ANGSA program will help enhance future objectives to the Moon, such as NASAs Artemis and ESAs Prospect programs.
Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan preparing to collect samples 73001 and 73002 on the Moon in 1972. The Apollo 17 astronaut hammered a 70 cm long cylindrical tube into the surface area to extract a core sample of the lunar soil. ESAs piercing tool, jokingly called the “Apollo can opener” among the group, can puncture the Moon sample vacuum container to aid capturing the trapped gases as they leave. Test 73002, the upper section of a double drive tube core sample drawn out from Apollo 17 landing website (paired with lower area 73001 which still stays sealed in a special vacuume container called a CSVC). The core samples product comes from a lunar landslide occasion in the Taurus Littrow Valley landing website of Apollo 17.
New sample handling and containment approaches can likewise add to the exploration of the Red Planet. Together with NASA, ESA is intending to return samples with the Mars Sample Return program.
