[meteorite-list] Genesis Scientists Bouncing Back From Hard Landing

[Ron Baalke]

Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington                      Sept. 10, 2004
(Phone: 202/358-1547)

DC Agle 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone: 818/354-5011)

RELEASE: 04-296

GENESIS SCIENTISTS BOUNCING BACK FROM HARD LANDING

     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.

"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.

"This may result in snatching victory from the jaws of 
defeat," added Dr. Roger Wiens of the Los Alamos National 
Laboratory, 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.

"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," he said.

"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," he said.

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 can see that two of the four 
concentrator segments are in place, and all four may be 
intact," Wiens said.

The mission's second priority is to analyze nitrogen isotopes 
that will help understand how the atmospheres of the planets 
in our solar system evolved. "These isotopes will be analyzed 
using gold foil, which we have also found intact," Wiens 
said.

Other samples of solar winds are contained on hexagonal 
wafers. It appears these are all or nearly all broken, but 
sizable pieces will be recovered, and some are still mounted 
in their holders. "We won't really know how many can be 
recovered for some time, but we are far more hopeful 
important science can be conducted than we were on 
Wednesday," Wiens said.

Another type of collector material, foils contained on the 
canister's lid, were designed to collect other isotopes in 
the solar wind. It appears approximately three-fourths of 
these are recoverable, according to Dr. Dave Lindstrom, 
Mission Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters. However, 
these foils have been exposed to elements of the Utah desert. 

The Genesis sample return capsule landed well within the 
projected ellipse path in the Utah Test & Training Range on 
Sept. 8, but its parachutes did not open. It impacted the 
ground at nearly 200 mph. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a 
division of the California Institute of Technology in 
Pasadena, Calif., manages the Genesis mission for the 
agency's Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space 
Systems, Denver, developed and operated the spacecraft.

News and information about Genesis is available on the 
Internet, at:

www.nasa.gov/genesis 

Detailed background information about the mission is 
available on the Web at: 

http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov


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