GENESIS MISSION STATUS REPORT                   September 10, 2004
RELEASE: 2004-228 

Scientists who conducted the preliminary assessment of the Genesis
canister are encouraged by what they see. They believe it may be
possible to achieve the most important portions of their science
objectives.

"We are bouncing back from a hard landing, and spirits are picking
up again," said Orlando Figueroa, deputy associate administrator for
programs for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in
Washington.

"This may result in snatching victory from the jaws of defeat,"
added Dr. Roger Wiens of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New
Mexico, a member of the Genesis science team. "We are very
encouraged." Based on initial inspection, it is possible a
repository of solar wind materials may have survived that will keep
the science community busy for some time.

"We are pleased and encouraged by the preliminary inspection," said
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "The outstanding design and sturdy
construction of Genesis may yield the important scientific results
we hoped for from the mission."

"I want to emphasize the excellent work by the navigation team to
bring the capsule back exactly on target was key in our ability to
recover the science," said Andrew Dantzler, director of the Solar
System Division at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "In addition, the
robustness of the design of the spacecraft was the reason it could
take such a hard landing and still give us a chance to recover the
samples."

The mission's main priority is to measure oxygen isotopes to
determine which of several theories is correct regarding the role of
oxygen in the formation of the solar system. Scientists hope to
determine this with isotopes collected in the four target segments
of the solar wind concentrator carried by the Genesis spacecraft.
"From our initial look, we can see that two of the four concentrator
segments are in place, and all four may be intact," Wiens said.

The mission's second priority is to analyze nitrogen isotopes that
will help us understand how the atmospheres of the planets in our
solar system evolved. "These isotopes will be analyzed using gold
foil, which we have also found intact," Wiens said.

Other samples of solar winds are contained on hexagonal wafers. It
appears these are all or nearly all broken, but sizable pieces will
be recovered, and some are still mounted in their holders. "We won't
really know how many can be recovered for some time, but we are far
more hopeful important science can be conducted than we were on
Wednesday," Wiens said.

Another type of collector material, foils contained on the
canister's lid, were designed to collect other isotopes in the solar
wind. It appears approximately three-fourths of these are
recoverable, according to Dr. Dave Lindstrom, mission program
scientist at NASA Headquarters. However, these foils have been
exposed to elements of the Utah desert.

The Genesis sample return capsule landed well within the projected
ellipse path in the Utah Test & Training Range on Sept. 8, but its
parachutes did not open. It impacted the ground at nearly 320
kilometers per hour (nearly 200 miles per hour). NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of
Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Genesis mission for the
agency's Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems,
Denver, developed and operated the spacecraft. 


NASA APPOINTS GENESIS MISHAP INVESTIGATION BOARD LEADER
RELEASE: 04-295                             September 10, 2004

     NASA's Associate Administrator for Science Al Diaz 
announced today, Dr. Michael Ryschkewitsch, Director of the 
Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate at NASA's 
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Md., would 
lead the Genesis Mishap Investigation Board (MIB).

The MIB will gather information; analyze the facts; identify 
the proximate cause(s), root cause(s) and contributing 
factors relating to the Genesis mission; and recommend 
appropriate actions to prevent a future similar mishap. The 
Genesis sample return capsule failed to deploy its 
parachutes, as it descended through Earth's atmosphere 
September 8.

The MIB will include experts from NASA, other government 
agencies and external consultants. The Board's investigation 
report is due to NASA Headquarters in mid-November. NASA will 
release the names of additional MIB members as soon as 
available. The Board's initial meeting is next week.

Prior to his current assignment, Ryschkewitsch was Deputy 
Director of the GSFC Applied Engineering and Technology 
Directorate. He also served as the center's Deputy Director 
of the Systems, Technology and Advanced Concepts Directorate.

He has a bachelor's degree and Ph.D. in physics from Duke 
University, Durham, N.C. Prior to joining NASA, he served as 
a postdoctoral fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of 
Physics at the University of Delaware. He joined GSFC in 1982 
as a cryogenics engineer. He served as Head of the Cryogenic 
Systems Development Section and Assistant Branch Head for the 
Electromechanical Systems Branch. He was selected as 
Associate Chief of the Space Technology Division in 1990.

He led the GSFC team that worked with Ball Aerospace to 
develop the concept for the Corrective Optics Space Telescope 
Axial Replacement (COSTAR), used in the repair of the Hubble 
Space Telescope. In 1992, he was selected to form, then 
became Chief, of the Engineering Directorate Systems 
Engineering Office.

He is a past recipient of the Robert Baumann Award for 
Mission Success. In 2004 he received the NASA Engineering and 
Safety Center Leadership Award.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., 
manages the Genesis mission for NASA's Science Mission 
Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, 
Denver, developed and operated the spacecraft. JPL is a 
division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. 

_______________
Contacts:

DC Agle (818) 354-5011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Donald Savage (202) 358-1547
NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C.