Genesis Mission Reentry September 8, Western US

[najab]

I believe it I read somewhere that it is in an Earth-leading heliocentric orbit.

 

[alexblackwell]

<i>Off-Topic perhaps, but I am curious... What happened to the main spacecraft bus? does it re-enter, orbit, what? I find it hard to believe that nobody put additional science payloads on the main bus. Perhaps some observations from earth orbit, etc?</i><br /><br />After the sample return capsule was released, the Genesis spacecraft bus remains in a loosely bound Earth orbit. And remember that Genesis carries two onboard plasma spectrometers (i.e., <i>in situ</i> solar wind ion and electron spectrometers). <br /><br />Anticipating this, the Genesis team has proposed a mission extension, dubbed "Exodus," to conduct joint solar wind studies with other L1 spacecraft. Exodus, if approved by NASA's Sun-Earth Connections Office, would begin later this year and would involve redirecting the Genesis spacecraft to a distant retrograde heliocentric orbit in which the spacecraft would loiter for a considerable time at ~­0.025 AU upstream and downstream of Earth (~­2.5x the Earth-L1 distance). <br /><br />At any rate, I wonder what wag came up with "Exodus"? Especially in today's political climate. What would a second extension of the mission be called? "Leviticus"? Having said that, however, I have to admit that, under the Pentateuch order, a possible third and fourth extension could plausibly be called, respectively, religous-neutral: "Numbers" [related somehow to mathematics] and "Deuteronomy" [a merging of Deuterium and Aeronomy] ;-)

 

[centsworth_II]

<i>"i wonder what those cosmic particles look like..."</i><br /><br />The particles are individual atoms -- not much to look at. It's their identity and relative abundances that are important.<br /><br /><br /><i>"Some 350 palm-sized wafers made up five disks that were open to the solar wind during the mission, collecting <font color="yellow">atoms</font>from the sun. <br /><br />The capsule held billions of charged <font color="yellow">atoms</font>— a total haul no bigger than a few grains of salt."</i> -- from the article linked by Leovinus<br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[sloracer]

<font color="orange"> This is the latest bulletin relating to the research material.</font><br />Genesis Scientists Bouncing Back From Hard Landing<br /><br />Scientists who conducted the preliminary assessment of the Genesis canister are encouraged by what they see. They believe it may be possible to achieve the most important portions of their science objectives. <br /><br />"We are bouncing back from a hard landing, and spirits are picking up again," said Orlando Figueroa, deputy associate administrator for programs for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.<br /><br />"This may result in snatching victory from the jaws of defeat," added Dr. Roger Wiens of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, a member of the Genesis science team. "We are very encouraged." Based on initial inspection, it is possible a repository of solar wind materials may have survived that will keep the science community busy for some time. <br /><br />"We are pleased and encouraged by the preliminary inspection," said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "The outstanding design and sturdy construction of Genesis may yield the important scientific results we hoped for from the mission." <br /><br />"I want to emphasize the excellent work by the navigation team to bring the capsule back exactly on target was key in our ability to recover the science," said Andrew Dantzler, director of the Solar System Division at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "In addition, the robustness of the design of the spacecraft was the reason it could take such a hard landing and still give us a chance to recover the samples." <br /><br />The mission's main priority is to measure oxygen isotopes to determine which of several theories is correct regarding the role of oxygen in the formation of the solar system. Scientists hope to determine this with isotopes collected in the four target segments of the solar wind concentrator carried by the Genesis spacecraft. "From our initial look, we

 

[robotical]

If we manage to retrieve science from Genesis it will mean that it's the first spacecraft to use the meteorite reentry system successfully. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mikejz]

lithocapture

 

[JonClarke]

Of course Genesis means simply "Beginning" in Greek, while "Exodus" means "Journey", so it could be argued to be religion neutral. But it does tickle my fancy, I can just imagine a 66-spacecraft series of missions, with the last one being a "Revelation" (provided it did not end apocalytically of course).<br /><br />Alright, time to go back to the housework, the mop awaits....<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[crowing]

You get the mop while your wife has the broom!!!<br />Good to see you back Jon

 

[bobvanx]

LITHOCAPTURE!<br /><br />ROTFLMAS!<br /><br />thump.. whoops, it really did fall off. Thank goodness the ground stopped it.

 

[lunatic133]

Revelations 2 -- Just when you thought it was safe to sin.<br /><br />Sorry. That reminded me of that, lol

 

[bobvanx]

Well what do you know, my prediction was very close. it's the switches themselves that were upside down.

 

[davp99]

From the NY Times..<br /><br />NASA Reviews Mix-Up That Doomed Capsule<br />By KENNETH CHANG<br /> <br />Published: October 16, 2004<br /><br /><br />Five years ago, after two NASA missions to Mars were doomed by elementary mistakes - a software glitch and a mix-up between English and metric units - the space agency devised more elaborate pre-launching review procedures to safeguard future missions. Now the agency is trying to figure out how an equally embarrassing error eluded the review process, apparently resulting in the crash of the Genesis space capsule in the Utah desert last month. <br /><br />In this case, four switches that were to deploy the capsule's parachutes were installed upside down, the parachutes never opened and the capsule plunged to the ground at nearly 200 miles an hour. NASA scientists are now trying to salvage the solar particles it gathered in its three-year, $264 million mission.<br /><br />"One of the questions we have to answer is, How did we not catch this?" Dr. Michael G. Ryschkewitsch, chairman of the NASA board investigating the accident, said in a telephone news conference yesterday. "Since Genesis was being assembled around the time of the Mars failures, there were a number of additional reviews. We are trying to understand in detail what was looked at and exactly what happened there. We're not yet prepared to comment on that."<br />The switches were simple devices consisting of weights attached to springs. The force of deceleration as the capsule re-entered the atmosphere was to stretch the springs and close an electric circuit. When the deceleration slowed, the switch was to have reopened, a signal that should have told the capsule to begin the landing process. A small initial parachute was to have popped out at 108,000 feet and six minutes later, a 35-foot-wide parafoil.<br /><br />But because of the upside-down installation of the switches, the switches did not close, just as a bathroom scale does not work if flipped. <br />Like the failed 199 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="4">Dave..</font> </div>

 

[davp99]

Ps...I Copy & Pasted the Whole Story instead of the NY Times Link, is because you have to Register to read that story, it was posted on that web site 10/16/04 incase anyone wants to check it out,,,<br />Dave <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="4">Dave..</font> </div>

 

[bobw]

This one has been off the scope for a while. It is good to read that the researchers will get some information out of this after all the problems.<br /><br />http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2005/jan/HQ_05030_genesis_sample.html<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston recently shipped a piece of the Genesis polished aluminum collector to researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. The shipment marked the first distribution of a Genesis scientific sample from JSC since the science canister arrived on Oct. 4, 2004. Preliminary examination of the sample by researchers has confirmed it contains solar ions, traces of the solar wind.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>