Unhappy ending
On 8 September 2004, NASA’s Genesis spacecraft arrived back on Earth after a two-year mission to study the Sun. Two Hollywood stunt pilots were on stand-by in helicopters, ready to swoop in and catch the capsule in a dramatic midair display.
But there was no Hollywood happy ending this time. The Genesis team watched in horror as the capsule’s parachute failed to open and it crash-landed in the Utah desert.
'It could have been worse, if the heat shield failed the spacecraft would have burnt up as it entered the atmosphere!'
Ian Franchi, Open University
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The Genesis capsule slammed to earth at over 300 kilometres per hour
Image: NASA / JPL / Caltech |
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