Genesis Mission Reentry September 8, Western US

[sloracer]

This NASA Bulletin gives information about the unusual procedures that will be used to literally catch the capsule before it lands. Also gives a great description of what it will look like and where to find it in the sky.<br /><br />http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/03sep_genesisreentry.htm?list1160313

 

[scottcarlin]

Is this going to webcasted on Nasa TV or someplace else? I'd hate to miss it cause I have to work.

 

[sloracer]

(This is the most recent bulletin I got from NASA. According to the last paragraph, it will be televised.)<br /><br />DC Agle (818) 393-9011<br />Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif<br /><br />Donald Savage (202) 358-1547<br />NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. <br /><br />RELEASE: 2004-217 September 7, 2004<br /><br />NASA a 'Go' For Midair Capture of Samples from the Sun<br /><br />NASA's Genesis spacecraft crossed the orbit of the Moon early Monday, Sept. 6, on its way to the mission's dramatic finale over the skies of west-central Utah tomorrow. Genesis, bringing back samples of the solar wind, is NASA's first sample return mission since Apollo 17 returned the last of America's lunar samples to Earth in December 1972.<br /><br />An important milestone in the mission was met Monday morning, when the Genesis spacecraft performed its final trajectory maneuver before capsule release and the dramatic midair capture over Utah. The spacecraft passed the Earth-Moon orbit at about 2 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday, traveling at about 1.25 kilometers per second (2,700 miles per hour).<br /><br />"Our Deep Space Network is allowing us to keep a close eye on our spacecraft and its samples of the Sun," said Genesis project manager Don Sweetnam of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "It is right where we planned it to be. Everything is go. The navigators and engineers here at JPL are go, and the recovery team out in Utah is go, too."<br /><br />The Genesis recovery team members, both ground support and the flight crews who will make the dramatic midair capture, have been undergoing flight training since arriving at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah, on Aug. 23. <br /><br />"We came here with a specific set of mission goals that had to be met before Sept. 8, and those have all been met or exceeded," said Genesis director of flight operations Roy Haggard of Vertigo Inc., Lake Elsinore, Calif. "The next time these two helicopters take to the sky one

 

[alokmohan]

Can you tell me what new revealations are anticipated?We know much about sun.

 

[mrmorris]

<font color="yellow">"Can you tell me what new revealations are anticipated?"</font><br /><br />I believe they're hoping to get some traces of horse dung in the samples so that they can do some DNA testing to determine what breed of horses the god Apollo had when he was using the sun as his chariot. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[arobie]

OK, I'm off to school, but before I go, I wanted to wish luck to those helicopter stunt pilots. I know everything will work out, but... just can't help but feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing. Well anyways best of luck to them. Hope they do it right.

 

[davf]

I'm crossing my fingers.... this is going to be cool!! Anyone a fan of 'Andromeda Strain'?

 

[Leovinus]

NASA TV coverage begins at 9:00 MT. (the rest of you can do the time zone calculations for a change) .<br /><br />That's an hour from now. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[giofx]

NTV webcast has begun.

 

[Leovinus]

Choppers are up. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Leovinus]

It looks as though we're going to get some great looks at this whole operation. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[scottcarlin]

this is sooooo cool. <br /><br />how much longer till we see the chute.

 

[Leovinus]

I think things will start happening near the top of the hour, say from :53 on. In Mission Control, see the countdown clock on the big screen. Last one is time to capture. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[kelle]

Hmm... ain't the possibility that the chute will be sucked into the rotor quite big? No, guess not, they've trained for several years, so they know what they are doing. It's exciting though!

 

[Leovinus]

The blades are pushing air down, not sucking it up. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[backspace]

If nothing else, we've already been treated to some pretty nifty aerial photography.

 

[Leovinus]

Long range cameras have it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[kelle]

Yeah, I know, it the rotor were sucking air upward, the copter would go down. But the chute could still be sucked into the rotor if it is above the copter.

 

[backspace]

no chute... impact. Mission failure. ugh.

 

[Leovinus]

It crashed. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[kelle]

Oh jesus, it crashed?!? <br /><br />That's just too sad!

 

[Leovinus]

Pretty intact, however. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[kelle]

Let's pray for the samples, people!

 

[earth_bound_misfit]

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[nesoft]

I've been watching as well. At least it appears to be intact...