NASA Probe Crashes in Utah Desert
The planned recovery of a capsule carrying solar-wind particles from NASA’s Genesis deep-space mission went awry this morning. The capsule failed to deploy its parachutes and slammed into the desert near the Air Force’s Utah Test and Training Range at 160 kilometers per hour, shattering it open. (View Quicktime video.) Scientists had been waiting for three years for the solar-wind material, which would have been the first material returned to Earth by a U.S. spacecraft since the final Apollo mission in 1972. It was expected to reveal the composition of the primeval cloud from which the sun and the solar system congealed billions of years ago. The capsule–which was to have been scooped from the sky by a helicopter before it hit the ground–remains embedded in the desert, and NASA recovery teams have not yet determined whether any of the collected particles are salvageable.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.
“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.
What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines
New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.
Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats
With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure
Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation
From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.