spacetoday.net: NASA hopeful Genesis samples can be salvaged

Posted: Fri, Sep 10, 2004, 8:19 PM ET (0019 GMT)
Genesis capsule crash site (NASA)

Project officials and scientists said Friday they believed that at least some of the solar wind samples contained in the Genesis return capsule that crashed Wednesday could be salvaged. The capsule was supposed to deploy parachutes that would permit helicopters to recover the capsule in midair, however, the parachutes did not deploy and the capsule crashed into the Utah desert at over 300 kmph. The capsule suffered extensive damage and was transported later that day to a clean room to permit engineers to study the condition of the spacecraft. Project officials said that at least some of the wafers designed to store solar wind atoms collected during the mission appear to be intact. Engineers face the challenge, though, of extracting those wafers from the capsule and removing dirt from the crash site that got into the capsule. NASA officials also announced that it has established a mishap investigation board to review the accident. The board will be chaired by Michael Ryschkewitsch, director of the applied engineering and technology directorate at NASA Goddard. The board's first meeting is planned for next week.