Tracing the origin of Genesis' crash.A NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. investigative board has found that an elementary design flaw is the most likely cause of the crash of the Genesis spacecraft. Four switches intended to signal the space capsule to open its parachutes were installed upside down. The parachutes never deployed and the craft, which was carrying delicate samples of particles from the sun, smashed into the Utah desert on Sept. 8 (SN: 9/18/04, p. 190). Scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston now are trying to salvage what they can from the shattered samples recovered from the 3-year, $264 million mission. The assembly error was due to incorrect drawings by Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. Astronautics astronautics: see space science. Astronautics Flash Gordon space-traveling hero. [Am. Comics and Cin.: Halliwell] From the Earth to the Moon of Waterton, Colo., which built the craft. Investigation chairman Michael G. Ryschkewitsch of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately 6.5 miles northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Md., released the preliminary findings on Oct. 14. Each of the switches consists of a mass attached to a spring. When installed correctly, the mass responds to the deceleration deceleration /de·cel·er·a·tion/ (de-sel?er-a´shun) decrease in rate or speed. early deceleration of a spacecraft reentering re·en·ter also re-en·ter v. re·en·tered, re·en·ter·ing, re·en·ters v.tr. 1. To enter or come in to again. 2. To record again on a list or ledger. v.intr. Earth's atmosphere, and the action compresses the spring and closes an electronic circuit. The panel is investigating how the error went undiscovered, despite the extra reviews added during Genesis' construction, after two missions to Mars failed because of simple errors. Those missions were also designed by Lockheed Martin Astronautics. The panel is expected to submit its final report to NASA in late November. Lockheed Martin says that the company is waiting for that report before commenting.--R.C. |
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