The genesis of Genesis: delayed birth
The Genesis slip allows teams at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, as well as spacecraft builder
Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver, Colorado, to focus more on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft being readied for sendoff to the Red Planet on April 7, 2001. Squeeze play
"It's a decision that we really had to make," said Jay Bergstralh, who oversees Discovery-class missions at NASA Headquarters. "This had more to do about getting the Mars '01 mission launched on schedule in April of next year."
Steven Brody, NASA's Genesis program executive, told SPACE.com that the decision to delay Genesis is "a prudent management call."
"The Genesis team has been right on track for the February launch, but we had to take a higher-ground perspective of looking at the two missions as a whole," Brody said. "There is no science compromise here. We expect fully to meet all the objectives of the mission."
"It involves people at the same institutions preparing for both missions -- Mars '01 and Genesis. As things get tight for readying Mars '01, we didn't want to run any risk of compromising either mission," Brody said.
Launch opportunities for Genesis are also available in July and August of next year. About 10 days to two weeks in each of those months are available, Brody said.
Sampling the Sun
When Genesis is sent spaceward, it will be plopped into orbit around a point between Earth and the Sun, a
locale where the gravity of both bodies is balanced. Genesis would then unfold a set of collection devices, soaking up particles of solar wind for two years. The particles would be embedded in ultra-pure silicon wafers.
Once the spacecraft collectors are re-stowed, Genesis would head for a 2004 rendezvous with Earth.
A special return capsule loaded with the bounty of "cosmic collectibles" will be lobbed toward a desert site in Utah. The returning canister would be caught in midair by helicopter, for eventual transport to the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Safely stored and cataloged, Genesis' collection of solar particles will undergo extensive scrutiny, under ultra-pure, clean room conditions.
The Genesis mission is designed to provide scientists direct data on the Sun's composition, as well as help unlock the mysteries of planetary formation.
Cost hit
There is a
cost to NASA in delaying Genesis.Prior to the launch slip, the entire Genesis mission was cost-capped at $216 million, including launch vehicle and ground support to track the mission. What additional costs will have to be swallowed by NASA has not been fully assessed.
"It is clearly a cost that will be over and above what we have approved for the Genesis mission," Brody said. "We have to make decisions in the government on these kind of missions. The money will have to come out of the space science budget. We'll have to figure out exactly where the resources come from to cover it."
For more information on the solar wind and other space weather phenomena,
click here.
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