Spacecraft return televised at University of Utah

Tickets are required, but may be obtained free of charge by calling Kingsbury Hall's ticket office at (801) 581-7100 or ArtTix at (801) 355-2787.

"For the people of Utah, this will be the focus for public viewing of the event," said Don Sweetnam, Genesis project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "It's a great place to come see it."

The university also is hosting two other Genesis-related events: a scientific seminar on Sept. 7 and an exhibit in the entry hall of the Olpin Union Building.

As the Genesis capsule parachutes toward Earth the morning of Sept. 8, two helicopters operated by moonlighting Hollywood stunt pilots will attempt to snag the capsule in mid-air so it does not hit the ground and damage its precious cargo of solar wind particles.

Genesis' planned mid-air capture over western Utah represents the first time that extraterrestrial material will be brought back to Earth since Apollo 17 came home with moon rocks in 1972. The solar wind particles will be the first extraterrestrial materials brought to Earth from beyond the moon.

While the news media will be allowed onto the Air Force's Utah Test and Training Range to witness the event, the only way for the public to watch will be via the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's live television feed.

Utah residents may watch the live broadcast on a 20-foot-by-30-foot screen at Kingsbury Hall. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. MDT, speakers begin at 8 a.m. MDT. Ray Gesteland, the University of Utah's vice president for research, will offer a welcome before presentations by Chet Sasaki, former Genesis mission project manager; and Amy Jurewicz, Genesis project scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA's TV programming will start at 9 a.m. MDT and the capsule is to be captured between about 10:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. MDT. The NASA broadcast will end by noon MDT, but Kingsbury Hall will remain open for a 2 p.m. MDT telecast of a live Genesis mission news conference.

Scientific Seminar and Genesis Exhibit at the U

Meanwhile, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tues. Sept. 7 – the day before the mid-air capture – Genesis scientists and managers will discuss "The Science and Engineering of NASA's Genesis Mission: Why We Should Care About Exploring the Sun" in the Skaggs Biology Building auditorium.

Speakers will include Sasaki, Jurewicz and Roger Wiens, a Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist serving as Genesis co-investigator for science collection.

An exhibit about Genesis, including a 1/20 scale model of the spacecraft, is on display through Sept. 10 in the Olpin Union's entry hall. The exhibit also includes solar wind collection wafers like those used on Genesis.

Background on the Genesis Mission

Genesis was launched on its $260 million mission in August 2001 and spent almost 27 months outside of Earth's magnetic field so it could catch particles in the solar wind that blows off the sun at roughly 1 million mph. It used ultra-pure wafers of gold, silicon, sapphire and diamond to capture the particles. Scientists want to analyze the particles because they will provide valuable data on the chemical makeup of the sun and on the origin of the solar system.

After the sample return capsule separates from the main Genesis spacecraft, the capsule is expected to enter Earth's atmosphere at 9:55 a.m. MDT Sept. 8. Two minutes and seven seconds later – and at an altitude of 108,000 feet – the capsule will deploy a drogue parachute. The capsule's main parachute – a parafoil – will deploy six minutes later at an altitude of 20,000 feet.

The two helicopters, each with a three-member crew, will hover below. The lead copter then will use an 18.5-foot-long pole with a hook on the end to snag the parafoil and the Genesis capsule. The second helicopter will be ready to make another attempt if the first fails. NASA expects the copters will have five chances to snare the capsule, which then will be carried to a clean room at Michael Army Airfield at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground.

From there, the solar wind particles will be transferred to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Sweetnam said the mid-air capture will proceed even if weather is cloudy or rainy, except it could be postponed by solid cloud cover extending all the way to the ground.

Source: University of Utah

NASA Hopes to Recover Data from Genesis Capsule
The Genesis sample return capsule entered Earth's atmosphere at 9:52:47 a.m. MDT 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 mph). The impact occurred near Granite Peak on a remote portion of the range. No people or structures were anywhere near the area.

Genesis Mission Status Report
The Genesis team has shipped its first scientific sample from the mission's specially constructed cleanroom at the U.S. Army Proving Ground in Dugway, Utah. The sample, containing what are known as "lid foils," was attached to the interior lid of the Genesis sample return capsule.
What Genesis Solar Particles Can Tell Us
The recent crash of NASA's Genesis space probe may have looked like bad news for scientists, but its cargo of particles captured from the sun should still yield useful information, according to Qing-Zhu Yin, a planetary scientist at UC Davis.
Genesis Mishap Investigation Board Status Report
The NASA Genesis Mishap Investigation Board (MIB) arrived at Dugway Proving Ground (DPG), Utah, September 10, to take charge of the investigation. The Genesis Sample Return Capsule (SRC) impacted the ground after its drogue and parafoil systems failed to deploy during re-entry September 8. Dr. Michael Ryschkewitsch is the leader of the MIB.
Genesis Mission Update
Genesis team scientists and engineers continue their work on the mission's sample return canister in a specially constructed clean room at the U.S. Army Proving Ground in Dugway, Utah. As more of the capsule's contents are revealed, the team's level of enthusiasm for the amount of science obtainable continues to rise.
Genesis Scientists Don't Lose Hope
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.
Piece of the Sun returns to Earth
In a dramatic ending that marks a beginning in scientific research, NASA's Genesis spacecraft is set to swing by Earth and jettison a sample return capsule filled with particles of the Sun that may ultimately tell us more about the genesis of our solar system. "The Genesis mission -- to capture a piece of the Sun and return it to Earth -- is truly in the NASA spirit: a bold, inspiring mission that makes a fundamental contribution to scientific knowledge," said Steven Brody, NASA's program executive for the Genesis mission, NASA Headquarters, Washington.
Sun Is Closer Than We Thought
This September, NASA is set to bring back a tiny sampling of the raw material of the Sun, a sample weighing no more than a few grains of salt.

In a dramatic ending that marks a beginning in scientific research, NASA's Genesis spacecraft is set to swing by Earth and jettison a sample return capsule filled with particles of the Sun that may ultimately tell us more about the genesis of our solar system.

"The Genesis mission -- to capture a piece of the Sun and return it to Earth -- is truly in the NASA spirit: a bold, inspiring mission that makes a fundamental contribution to scientific knowledge," said Steven Brody, NASA's program executive for the Genesis mission, NASA Headquarters, Washington.

Spacecraft return televised at University of Utah

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