Summary

Description	This September a Hollywood-style capture will highlight NASA's Genesis mission when it comes to an exciting climax. Genesis is a mission to study the birth of our solar system by examining the composition of the Sun. The spacecraft was launched in August, 2001 from Cape Canavaral Air Force Station in Florida. Genesis attained perfect orbit and spread its hexagon-shaped collector arrays to harvest the Sun’s solar wind. The arrays made of gold, platinum and diamonds sparkled brilliantly while absorbing the Sun's essence. On September 8th, the sample return capsule or SRC will return to Earth.On the desert floor at the Utah Test and Training Range a tile marks the spot over which the capture of the SRC will occur. Genesis will be instructed to eject the capsule and it will enter Earth’s atmosphere suspended under a parachute to slow its descent. In a James Bond-type stunt maneuver using giant hooks, trained pilots in helicopters will swoop down and snag the capsule in mid-air. The prec
Date	2004-08-20
Source	images.nasa.gov

Licensing

Public Domain (US Government Work)