Genesis Mission Outreach E-News May 2003
May 30, 2003—466 days to Genesis return to Earth!
The Genesis spacecraft continues its mission collecting solar wind material expelled from the Sun. Telemetry from the Genesis spacecraft indicates the spacecraft is in overall good health.
Recent solar activity has called for the ‘high solar speed’ collector array to be deployed 75% of the time, the ‘low solar speed’ array deployed 14% of the time and E-Array for the remaining 11%. There are three collector arrays aboard Genesis that are exposed to, or hidden from, the solar wind. One collector array is designated for each of the three solar wind regimes. Which collector array is exposed is determined by the data received by sensitive ion and electron monitors located on the spacecraft’s equipment deck. These monitors scrutinize the solar wind passing by the spacecraft and relay this information to the onboard computer, which in turn commands the collector arrays to deploy and retract as needed.
Genesis Vital Statistics:
- 661 days since launch.
- 309 days to planned completion of solar particle collection.
- 466 days to Genesis return to Earth.
You can follow mission progress on our status updates page at:http://www.genesismission.org/mission/statusupdate.html
Where is the Genesis Spacecraft Now?
View the simulated position of the Genesis spacecraft. Most images are updated every 10 minutes.http://www.genesismission.org/mission/live_shots.html
KIDS, WE HAVE FUN IN THE SUN ACTIVITIES FOR YOU!
Why are rainbows always bent? Why aren’t clouds square? Why do my legs look crooked when I dangle them in water? You can find answers to these questions and more in the Genesis Kids section of the mission Web site! You wanna’ get cooking? The sun can be a great source of heat for making solar treats. For summer fun, you can visit our “Roping Rainbows” page on the Genesis Web site at: http://www.genesismission.org/product/genesis_kids/ropingrainbows/ropingrainbows.html
REMEMBER GENESIS ‘GRAMS?
“The Earth is a blue, churning sapphire amidst the vast reaches of the galaxy,” wrote a student from Muskego, Wisconsin. Genesis Grams were engraved on the Genesis microchip and launched aboard the spacecraft on August 8, 2001, and scheduled to return in 466 days. Stay tuned as the day of sample return approaches. If your ‘Gram is onboard, your thought for space, the Earth, to live by, or to make you smile will have completed its long journey sunward and home. Genesis ‘Grams are posted on the mission site at: http://www.genesismission.org/product/GenesisGrams/grams_overview.html
IF YOU GOT INTO ‘GRAMS…
If you got into ‘Grams, you may want to send your name to a comet. Visit the Deep Impact Web site at and make a deep impact on a comet!
Genesis Mission Outreach E-News features information about the mission, its outreach Web site, and products, services, and materials available from the Genesis Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) team.Genesis is managed for NASA’s Space Science Division by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Genesis is a collaborative partnership made up of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Lockheed Martin Astronautics, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Genesis mission is the fifth chosen for NASA’s Discovery Program. Genesis education materials are developed under contract by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), Aurora, CO.
