has nasal hear of a hot wrench?

[inairam]

Why NASA Can't Get the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Open

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/why ... 57015.html

I guess even nasa strips head off of bolts

[Urbish]

By the looks of it, they have to tread very lightly to avoid damaging or contaminating the precious cargo inside the sample container. I work in an industry that serves nuclear fuel processing facilities and there are similar challenges (working with spooky stuff inside a glove box with special tools, all blanketed in inert gas). Can't just spray some PB blaster, whip out a torch, or drill out a fastener in those conditions.

[Urbish]

I'm gonna guess they're struggling with those flat-head phillips drive screws around the perimeter. They need to call in an someone who has been working on Japanese motorcycles from the 70's and 80' their whole life. They'll know what to do with those pesky screws.

[Don McCombs]

It may be the poor quality photo, but it looks like several of those screws have stripped out heads.

[ricky racer]

I'm gonna guess they're struggling with those flat-head phillips drive screws around the perimeter. They need to call in an someone who has been working on Japanese motorcycles from the 70's and 80' their whole life. They'll know what to do with those pesky screws.

Amen brother! Why in the world would they use Phillips head screws? Maybe I should loan them my impact driver.

[Bob McCarty]

And those are probably those $80@ titanium screws they got from the military. It sounds like part of the problem is that they don't want to introduce contaminants by way of tools and that limits what they can use to remove them.

[Urbish]

And those are probably those $80@ titanium screws they got from the military. It sounds like part of the problem is that they don't want to introduce contaminants by way of tools and that limits what they can use to remove them.

I just finished up a project that is headed for space (attached to the outside of the space station). We had to use stainless fasteners all around to meet flight requirements. Stainless would present an added challenge to stripping out which I had to consider when setting my fastener torque values for the instrument.

After closer study, those flat head screws look like they have 'Torq Set' heads. Those are designed to reduce strip out on removal. Hmmm...

[Urbish]

So here's how NASA ended up removing those stripped screws. They made a tool that clamps over the container and provides positive downward force to the bit to prevent it from jumping out of the screw: