Switch problem linked to Genesis crash
Posted: Fri, Oct 15, 2004, 2:07 PM ET (1807 GMT)
A switch that was not properly oriented may have caused the crash of Genesis sample return capsule last month, investigators said Thursday. In a statement officials said that a "gravity switch" device, designed to trigger the deployment of a drogue chute once the capsule's deceleration dropped below a certain level, was installed upside-down and thus never operated properly. Investigators said the switch was installed according to design, but that the design itself had the switch in the wrong orientation. Investigators said the switch problem was the "proximate" cause of the September 8 failure, but that work would continue to understand what factors contributed to the design flaw, and if other aspects of the spacecraft design prevented the parachutes from deploying. The failure caused the capsule to hit the desert floor in Utah at over 300 km/h, severely damaging the spacecraft. Work continues to salvage some of the solar wind samples the capsule carried.
A switch that was not properly oriented may have caused the crash of Genesis sample return capsule last month, investigators said Thursday. In a statement officials said that a "gravity switch" device, designed to trigger the deployment of a drogue chute once the capsule's deceleration dropped below a certain level, was installed upside-down and thus never operated properly. Investigators said the switch was installed according to design, but that the design itself had the switch in the wrong orientation. Investigators said the switch problem was the "proximate" cause of the September 8 failure, but that work would continue to understand what factors contributed to the design flaw, and if other aspects of the spacecraft design prevented the parachutes from deploying. The failure caused the capsule to hit the desert floor in Utah at over 300 km/h, severely damaging the spacecraft. Work continues to salvage some of the solar wind samples the capsule carried.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, April 8
Finally, Artemis delivers some exceptional, high-quality photos of the Moon
Ars Technica — 4:44 am ET (0844 GMT) Earthset and eclipse, oh my! NASA releases magnificent images from Artemis mission’s moon flyby
GeekWire — 4:43 am ET (0843 GMT) PLD Space Secures €30 Million European Investment Bank Loan
European Spaceflight — 4:43 am ET (0843 GMT) Suspect in space? Analysis finds 75 ‘unusual’ moves by Chinese satellites in nearly 10 years
Breaking Defense — 4:43 am ET (0843 GMT) Graphene and lasers for space propulsion
ESA — 4:42 am ET (0842 GMT) |
