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
DC
Agle (818) 393-9011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Donald
Savage (202) 358-1547
NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
RELEASE:
2004-219 September 8, 2004
GENESIS
MISSION STATUS REPORT
The
Genesis sample return capsule entered Earth's atmosphere
at 9:52:47 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time and entered the
preplanned entry ellipse in the Utah Test and Training
Range as predicted. However, the Genesis capsule, as
a result of its parachute not deploying, impacted the
ground at a speed of 311 kilometers per hour (193 miles
per hour). The impact occurred near Granite Peak on
a remote portion of the range. No people or structures
were anywhere near the area.
"We
have the capsule," said Genesis project manager
Don Sweetnam of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif. "It is on the ground. We have previously
written procedures and tools at our disposal for such
an event. We are beginning capsule recovery operations
at this time."
By
the time the capsule entered Earth's atmosphere, the
flight crews tasked to capture Genesis were already
in the air. Once it was confirmed the capsule touched
down out on the range, the flight crews were guided
toward the site to initiate a previously developed contingency
plan. They landed close to the capsule and, per the
plan, began to document the capsule and the area.
"For
the velocity of the impact, I thought there was surprisingly
little damage," said Roy Haggard of Vertigo Inc.,
Lake Elsinore, Calif., who took part in the initial
reconnaissance of the capsule. "I observed the
capsule penetrated the soil about 50 percent of its
diameter. The shell had been breached about three inches
and I could see the science canister inside and that
also appeared to have a small breach," he said.
The
safety of recovery personnel has been the top priority.
The capsule's separation charge had to be confirmed
safe before the capsule could be moved. The recovery
team is in the process of preparing to move the capsule
to a clean room.
The
Genesis mission was launched in August 2001 on a journey
to capture samples from the storehouse of 99 percent
of all the material in our solar system -- the Sun.
The samples of solar wind particles, collected on ultra-pure
wafers of gold, sapphire, silicon and diamond, were
designed to be returned for analysis by Earth-bound
scientists.
JPL
manages the Genesis mission for NASA's Science Mission
Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems,
Denver, developed and operated the spacecraft. JPL is
a division of the California Institute of Technology.
For
information about the Genesis Sample Return Mission
on the Internet, visit http://www.nasa.gov/genesis .
For background information about Genesis, visit http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov
.
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