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URI alumnus plays major role in discovery of water, carbon on Bennu asteroid

Jim Harris designed touch-and-go sample acquisition mechanism at the heart of NASA mission

Jim Harris holds the invention that is a critical part of the NASA space probe OSIRIS-REx, enabling it to collect a sample in the harsh conditions of space. Photos courtesy Lockheed Martin.

KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 16, 2023 – As NASA captures worldwide attention with its announcement Wednesday that a sample from the 4.5 billion-year-old Bennu asteroid contains water and carbon, the University of Rhode Island and one of its College of Engineering graduates have reason to be proud.

Jim Harris, who earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from URI in 1977, designed a device at the heart of the mission: a touch-and-go sample acquisition mechanism. The device was designed to collect a sample of regolith, the loose layer of rubble and dust covering the asteroid’s surface.

In a clean room at Lockheed Martin, engineers assemble the NASA space probe OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer)

NASA said in its announcement yesterday that samples show evidence of high-carbon content and water, which are considered the keys to life on Earth.  

Bennu has come almost as close to Earth as the moon. It is notable for the fact that it is both carbon-rich and relatively accessible, with a large-enough diameter (500 meters) and near-Earth orbit that make it the chosen target of a NASA sample collection mission launched in September 2016. The mission is the first U.S. sampling of an asteroid and scientists’ first look at some of the most primitive organic compounds in our solar system.

The NASA space probe OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) reached the asteroid in 2018 to begin tracking its orbit, outfitted with a camera suite, mapping and measurement systems, and Harris’ device.

The University’s communications team reached Harris at his home in Colorado to discuss the discovery announced at the Johnson Space Center in Houston:

URI: First of all, congratulations on your role in this mission. You worked on this project as an employee of Lockheed Martin in Denver. You acknowledged in a 2018 URI alumni magazine story that space is a “very harsh, challenging environment.” How do you feel learning about the success of your device?

Harris: I am very proud of having been part of the Lockheed Martin team that designed and developed the TAGSAM for the OSIRIS-REx program. To see the successful results and know that my contribution will help scientists understand the formation of our solar system is amazing.

Over the last three decades, URI has emphasized collaborative, interdisciplinary work among faculty, staff and students, particularly related to research. Was such an approach followed in your work to develop this technology? What types of disciplines/scientists were involved in your specific part of the project?

Harris: Yes, we worked with Dr. Daniel Scheeres, University of Colorado distinguished professor, and his grad students to develop models of the interaction of the sampler head and regolith in a low-gravity environment. I also worked with Dr. Beau Bierhaus at Lockheed Martin in conjunction with a team of scientists to develop possible regolith combinations that might be present on the asteroid.

In a nutshell, what does this device do and what is its significance to the mission?

Harris: The mission is to return 60 grams of regolith from the surface of an asteroid to Earth for scientific study. We considered a variety of methods to acquire a sample in a low-gravity environment with the most promising being vacuuming up the regolith quickly while touching the asteroid. So we brought along the bottles of nitrogen gas to stimulate the surface material and used the vacuum of space to collect the regolith.

What are the implications of these findings? Where does the work go next?

Harris: Scientists believe asteroids may have contributed to life on Earth as these samples do contain water and carbon, the building blocks of organic material. The scientists hope to find amino acids. The spacecraft will continue on to explore another asteroid, Apophis. NASA has launched other spacecraft to explore the asteroid Psyche and Lucy to explore two main belt asteroids.

How did your URI education and experience help lead you to this remarkable development in space exploration and science?

Harris: My degree in mechanical engineering provided a solid foundation and the opportunity to work for Lockheed Martin where I was given the opportunity to design spacecraft mechanisms. I found the tasks challenging and rewarding and my education provided me with the tools to successfully complete assignments. I have been very fortunate.

We understand that you are retired. What are you doing in this new stage of your life? Are you still involved in space or engineering projects?

Harris: Playing golf, tinkering and some cad modeling for home and friends’ projects. I stay in touch with many friends that I worked with at Lockheed Martin. I was invited to come out to the plant for the return and visit with some of the younger members of the team.