[meteorite-list] NASA Announces Key Genesis Science Collectors inExcellent Shape

From: Gerald Flaherty <grf2_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Apr 20 17:49:45 2005
Message-ID: <014c01c545f2$d42f77d0$6401a8c0_at_Dell>

Great news Ron and List!! Jerry
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Baalke" <baalke_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 5:05 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] NASA Announces Key Genesis Science Collectors
inExcellent Shape


>
>
> Dolores Beasley
> Headquarters, Washington April 20, 2005
> (Phone: 202/358-1753)
>
> William Jeffs
> Johnson Space Center, Houston
> (Phone: 281/483-5111)
>
> Nancy Ambrosiano
> Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M.
> (Phone: 505/667-0471)
>
> RELEASE: 05-102
>
> NASA ANNOUNCES KEY GENESIS SCIENCE COLLECTORS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE
>
> Scientists have closely examined four Genesis spacecraft collectors,
> vital to the mission's top science objective, and found them in
> excellent shape, despite the spacecraft's hard landing last year.
>
> Scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston removed
> the four solar-wind collectors from an instrument called the
> concentrator. The concentrator targets collected solar-oxygen ions
> during the Genesis mission. Scientists will analyze them to measure
> solar-oxygen isotopic composition, the highest-priority measurement
> objective for Genesis. The data may hold clues to increase
> understanding about how the solar system formed.
>
> "Taking these concentrator targets out of their flight holders and
> getting our first visual inspection of them is very important,"
> said Karen McNamara, Genesis curation recovery lead. "This step is
> critical to moving forward with the primary science Genesis was
> intended to achieve. All indications are the targets are in
> excellent condition. Now we will have the opportunity to show
> that quantitatively. The preliminary assessment of these materials
> is the first step to their allocation and measurement of the
> composition of the solar wind," she said.
>
> The targets were removed at JSC by a team from Los Alamos National
> Laboratory, Los Alamos, N.M., where the concentrator was designed
> and built.
>
> "Finding these concentrator targets in excellent condition after
> the Genesis crash was a real miracle," said Roger Wiens,
> principal investigator for the Los Alamos instruments. "It raised
> our spirits a huge amount the day after the impact. With the
> removal of the concentrator targets this week, we are getting
> closer to learning what these targets will tell us about the sun
> and our solar system," he added.
>
> The Los Alamos team was assisted by JSC curators and Quality
> Assurance personnel from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
> Pasadena, Calif. Curators at JSC will examine the targets and
> prepare a detailed report about their condition, so scientists
> can properly analyze the collectors. The targets will be imaged
> in detail and then stored under nitrogen in the Genesis clean
> room.
>
> Genesis was launched Aug. 8, 2001, from Cape Canaveral Air
> Force Station, Fla., on a mission to collect solar wind
> particles. Sample collection began Dec. 5, 2001, and was
> completed April 1, 2004. After an extensive recovery effort,
> following its Sept. 8, 2004, impact at a Utah landing site,
> the first scientific samples from Genesis arrived at JSC
> Oct. 4, 2004.
>
> Still imagery of scientists removing the concentrator targets
> is available at:
>
> http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/genesis/multimedia/gen_team_images.html
>
> Video to accompany this release will air on the NASA TV Video
> File at 3 p.m. EDT today.
>
> NASA TV is available on the Web and via satellite in the
> continental U.S. on AMC-6, Transponder 9C, C-Band, at 72
> degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz.
> Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz.
> It's available in Alaska and Hawaii on AMC-7, Transponder 18C,
> C-Band, at 137 degrees west longitude. The frequency is
> 4060.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural
> at 6.80 MHz.
>
> For more information about the Genesis mission on the Web, visit:
>
> http://www.nasa.gov/genesis
>
>
> -end-
>
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Received on Wed 20 Apr 2005 05:49:28 PM PDT