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Space Science

NASA Wraps Up Genesis Recovery 20

Posted by CowboyNeal from the data-recovery dept.
linuxwrangler writes "NASA scientists are wrapping up the recovery of the Genesis Project. Eileen Stansbery of the Johnson Space Center, said the crash, 'will make the analysis difficult but not impossible...There is nothing that is a total loss,' which is truly good news. The JPL has some nice pictures and video of the recovered bits."
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NASA Wraps Up Genesis Recovery More

NASA Wraps Up Genesis Recovery

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  • Pictures... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by tod_miller ( 792541 ) on Friday October 01, 2004 @05:25AM (#10402876) Journal
    I hope they remind you how dangerous this 'space' is... I wouldn't like this to be a manned operation I was reading about.

    Lighter note, half way down the images it looks like they are making a mosiac in honour of the mission...

    Did anyone else get that feeling, when reading about the stunt helicopters, that this would happen?

    I mean, why even bother with the stunt helicopters... it was so probable that this would happen.
    • Yes, it's all a bit of a joke really. A bloody matress would have been better than endless hyppe about stunt helicopters.

      • Re:Pictures... (Score:2, Insightful)

        by klmth ( 451037 )
        The odds for the probe actually hitting any kind of mattress are so small, that the helicopter stunt was the safer and cheaper bet.
        • Bet I could find you a shitty matress for a few tenners :-).

          The point is... BOTH the odds are small.

        • Re:Pictures... (Score:3, Interesting)

          by tod_miller ( 792541 )
          Inflatable 'air bags' was my suggestion when I heard about this.

          A couple of sports cars (trying not to get hit!) move around a zone of potential contact (they knew where it would land about)

          as it gets closer, you know more about where it will be, the airbags auto inflate [exoplosively] when the probe is within 25 meters of the ground.

          If it hits one the air is pushed out quickly, but slowly cushions its fall.

          How is a helicopter going to 'snare it' with a better chance than a stunt driver just driving to

          • Re:Pictures... (Score:2, Insightful)

            by brainburger ( 792239 )
            I think the issue here is the failure of the parachute(s?).
            Either stunt helicopters or Zem the stunt mattress from Squornshellous Zeta would have been fine had the 'chutes opened.
            Neither could have been in the right place at the right moment with any degree of accuracy without...
            • Perhaps on the next mission they will try a variant on the Mars rovers--airbags. However, with very fragile cargo, it might actually cause MORE breakage as the capsule hits, bounces, hits, bounces...

          • Re:Pictures... (Score:2, Insightful)

            by dbavirt ( 543160 )
            The helicopter has several chances to snag a slowly falling object. The sports car only has one.
    • All of the stunt helicopter practice recoveries were successful. I believe the cause of impact had something to do with the unparachuted plummet...

    • Re:Pictures... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Seahawk ( 70898 )
      Why is it "so probable" that this would happen?

      Usually parachutes actually deploys!

    • Re:Pictures... (Score:3, Informative)

      by Josh Booth ( 588074 ) *
      Helicopters or airplanes of some sort were used to recover the film canisters from spy satellites during the cold war in exactly the same way. It's not like its never been done before. Of course, it's hard to grab onto the parachute when the parachute doesn't even deploy.

  • Wow (Score:4, Insightful)

    by krel ( 588588 ) <krell@mLAPLACEac.com minus math_god> on Friday October 01, 2004 @06:22AM (#10402989) Homepage
    I for one am suitably impressed that a hallow metal shell from (nearly) beyond earth orbit fell through the atmosphere and hit the ground with no parachute or means of breaking at al, yet all this cool stuff survived.

    • Re:Wow (Score:1)

      by torpor ( 458 )
      I just liked the fact that I turned on CNN that day, its 2004, and I saw a flying saucer-like object plummeting out of control and smash into the ground, along with a whole nation (or so)...

      Its 2004! Yay for the plummeting space saucers falling out of the sky!
    • I'm not entirely sure that the 'scooped particles' survived really. It's not really amazing that some bits of random metal survived is it?
  • The real question is did anyone find spock yet?

    He's probably still wandering around somewhere in the canyons living caveman style...

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