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MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109
TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Martha J. Heil
(818) 354-0850
INTERNET ADVISORY
July 13, 2001
STAY IN SCHOOL - IT'S A BLAST!
What could be more fun than building a rocket to go to space?
NASA engineer Marla Thornton speaks in an audio clip now available
about how rocket science really is a blast.
On the eve of the July 30 launch of the Genesis spacecraft
on a mission to catch a piece of the Sun, a mission scientist
sends a message to students: Stay in school to reach the stars.
The audio clip is available for download from the Genesis
mission's home page at http://www.genesismission.org .
"As a young girl I had a fascination for rockets and space
exploration. Outer space was the new frontier," says Thornton
in the clip. "So I stayed in school and got involved in science
and math. They're a blast!"
Thornton is an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, Calif., and a member of the team that monitors the
Genesis spacecraft from the time of launch until its return
to Earth in September of 2004.
Genesis will travel to a point between the Sun and Earth,
unfold specially designed collection arrays and gather samples
of solar wind. After its two-year sunbath, the spacecraft
will return these sealed particles to Earth. This will be
the first time that scientists will have pristine samples
of solar wind, helping them learn more about the chemical
composition of the gases and dust that were present when our
solar system formed.
Free audiotape copies of the interview may be requested by
contacting Jacinta Behne of Mid-continent Research for Education
and Learning at 303/632-5605.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, Calif., manages the Genesis mission for NASA.
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6-29-01 MJH |
