Genesis (spacecraft)
Genesis was a NASA sample-return probe that collected a sample of solar wind particles and returned them to Earth for analysis. It was the first NASA sample-return mission to return material since the Apollo program, and the first to return material from beyond the orbit of the Moon. Genesis was launched on August 8, 2001, and the sample return capsule crash-landed in Utah on September 8, 2004, after a design flaw prevented the deployment of its drogue parachute. The crash contaminated many of the sample collectors. Although most were damaged, some of the collectors were successfully recovered.
| Mission type | Sample-return mission |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA · JPL |
| COSPAR ID | 2001-034A |
| SATCAT no. | 26884 |
| Website | genesismission |
| Mission duration | 3 years, 30 days, 23 hours, 44 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Space Systems |
| Launch mass | 636 kg (1,402 lb) |
| Dry mass | 494 kg (1,089 lb) |
| Dimensions | 2.3 × 2.0 m (7.5 × 6.6 ft) |
| Power | 254 W (solar array / NiH2 battery) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | August 8, 2001, 16:13:40 UTC (22 years, 8 months ago) |
| Rocket | Delta II 7326-9.5 (D287) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-17A |
| Contractor | Boeing |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | September 8, 2004, 15:58 UTC (19 years, 7 months ago) |
| Landing site | Dugway Proving Ground, Utah 40°11′19″N 113°12′46″W |
Official insignia for the Genesis mission | |
The Genesis science team demonstrated that some of the contamination could be removed or avoided, and that the solar wind particles could be analyzed using a variety of approaches, achieving all of the mission's major science objectives.