Stunt pilots to catch space capsule.

[ozanzac 0]

Quote[/b] ]Stunt Pilots to catch space capsule

By Michelle Pountney

September 7, 2004

HOLLYWOOD stunt pilots will grab a piece of the sun in a daredevil retrieval of one of NASA's most ambitious space projects.

Re-entry.... Genesis space probe / file

Early on Thursday morning, a space capsule containing about 10 to 20 micrograms of the sun's solar wind elements will return to Earth in a spectacular blazing fireball.

As it streaks over the east coast of the US at 11km/second, the recovery capsule from NASA's Genesis spacecraft will glow 100 times brighter than Venus in the morning sky.

Slowed by parachutes, the 1.5m x 81cm capsule will eventually descend towards Earth above the US Air Force's Utah Test and Training Range.

Hollywood stunt pilots in two helicopters will catch the fizzled fireball, plucking it from mid air using a long hook extended from the helicopters' bellies.

Plucking the capsule from the sky will protect its precious contents from being contaminated if it were to split as it hit the ground.

Scientists believe solar wind samples could help them understand how the Sun and planets were formed.

The samples of solar wind, which Genesis has collected over 27 months, are equivalent to a few grains of salt.

Scientists believe the make-up of solar wind is almost identical to the primeval solar nebula, the cloud from which the sun and planets condensed 4.5 billion years ago.

The fiery re-entry will also give astronomers the chance to study hot shockwaves in front of the capsule, which they expect to behave similarly to a meteor.

Meteors about the same size and velocity as the Genesis capsule hit Earth several times a year.

"It's so hard to catch a genuine asteroid in the act of re-entering," said NASA meteor expert Peter Jenniskens.

"We are interested in the physical and chemical conditions in the shockwave that can change the organic material in asteroids into pre-biotic molecules for life's origins," he said.

After the return the solar wind samples, collected on wafers of gold, sapphire, silicone and diamond, will be analysed by scientists across the world.

The samples will provide vital information on the composition of the sun, and shed light on the origins of our solar system.

"Our spacecraft has logged almost 27 months, far beyond the moon's orbit, collecting atoms from the sun," said senior Genesis team member Dr Don Burnett. "With it, we should be able to say what the sun is composed

of at a level of precision that has never been seen before."

The Genesis mission was launched on August 8, 2001 and collected samples from December 3, 2001 to April 1, 2004.

Two minutes and seven seconds after the Genesis space capsule re-enters Earth's atmosphere over Oregon on Thursday, the capsule will release a 2m parachute while 33km above Earth.

Six minutes later the main parachute measuring 10.5m x 3.1m will deploy 6.1km above the Earth's surface. Waiting below will be the two helicopters and their three-man flight crews.

The choppers have a 6m pole suspended from them to grab the capsule and its parachute.

The second helicopter will be about 330m behind the first one to set up for its approach if the first grab fails.

The helicopters will have up to five opportunities to grab the falling capsule.

A bit far fetched perhaps?

[theavonlady 2]

Is that what you meant by "I've got it!"?

[ozanzac 0]

Is that what you meant by "I've got it!"?

Yes and no.

I messed that thread up.

Mixed up the title with the content of a message bound for a different thread. Not to mention I mashed the enter button by mistake as well.

[FSPilot 0]

Why are they using hollywood stunt pilots? Are they filmin git?

[ozanzac 0]

Lol......That's what came to my mind too.

Don't quote me on this, but didn't the military used to catch raw data from satellites with transport aircraft e.t.c. before radio ground stations e.t.c.?

[Badgerboy 0]

Yeah, they used to use the method to catch capsules from Corona and other satelites. Usually used tuboprops or choppers to do it.

[Winters 1]

OMG this sounds crazy, next thing you know Stephen Spielberg will be tapped to direct it

[theavonlady 2]

I bet when they bring it down to earth, one of those Hollywood dummies will open it up and say "there's nothing in here"!

[somebloke 0]

That or when they open it you'll get a Raider's or the lost arc rip-off with the melting and rising upwards thingy.

[CosmicCastaway 0]

Whoops!  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3638926.stm

Can't catch it if theres nothing to catch it by.

Quote[/b] ]A capsule from the Genesis probe, which has been gathering particles blown off the Sun, has crashed back to Earth.

[theavonlady 2]

FYI, this was a $260 million project.

[Winters 1]

CUT!! ok, once more from the top

take 2 *snap*

aaannnnnd ACTION!!!

[gandalf the white 0]

lmao, poor researchers....

really, 260 tax money to waste... GRRR!!!

[Colossus 2]

I got only two pics to show

You get my point

[theavonlady 2]

You get my point  

I was thinking more like:

[Commander-598 0]

Whoever at Nasa is comming up with these kinds of missions needs to dragged out to the launch pad and beaten with a stick on National TV(Pay per view to be precise).

The cash generated from it would probably fund that idea for a lunar colony(Or one in orbit around Earth).

[Balschoiw 0]

When I listened to the story this late afternoon, I really had to smile. I had to imagine the helo pilots on their position when suddenly the satellite *whhhhhhhhhhoooooooschhhheeeddd*

by

Pilot: Hey Frank did you see that ?

Frank: A forget it man...it´s just been a long day...

*Dang*

Pilot : ?

Frank: ?!?

I mean the basic retrieve method semt to be very dubious too, don´t you think ?

What´s next ?

Catching satellites with Mr. Superglue ?

[-ZG-BUZZARD 0]

Nah, next thing will be Spiderman coming to sattelite rescue before they crash into the ground due to parachute opening failure... LOL!!!

[blackdog~ 0]

Yet another successful United States Postal Service delivery.

[FSPilot 0]

I was thinking velociraptors would leap out of the capsule and maul the pilots, then figure out the controls on the helicopter and fly to washington dc just in time to notify the president of a coming alien invasion.

[ozanzac 0]

ROFLAMO!

That's what you get when you put $240 million into an egg and spoon race.

[Bernadotte 0]

I wonder how much dust ends up being sampled from those helicopters landing nearby.

[theavonlady 2]

I wonder how much dust ends up being sampled from those helicopters landing nearby.  

You'll find out when scientists proclaim that the start of the universe is located at the Sikorsky assembly plant.

[Guest]

D'oh! Where was the reserve??

[Apollo 0]

Wouldn't it had been just easier to collect the material in space with an space capsule in orbit?

Ah well ,at least the taxpayer knows what happened with his money.