Re: Fate of Genesis bus

From: Alex R. Blackwell (alex_at_spamblocker.com)
Date: 10/01/04 

Date: Thu, 30 Sep 2004 15:32:34 -1000

Paolo Ulivi wrote:

> The Genesis landing press kit does not mention the ditching, an article
> in AWST hints that the bus was to be diverted and I find that it is
> still listed in the JPL's Ephemeris Generator. Does anybody know what
> was its fate?

After the sample return capsule was released, the Genesis spacecraft bus
remains in a loosely bound Earth orbit. And remember that Genesis
carries two onboard plasma spectrometers (i.e., in situ solar wind ion
and electron spectrometers).

Anticipating this, the Genesis team has proposed a mission extension,
dubbed "Exodus," to conduct joint solar wind studies with other L1
spacecraft. Exodus, if approved by NASA's Sun-Earth Connections Office,
would begin later this year and would involve redirecting the Genesis
spacecraft to a distant retrograde heliocentric orbit in which the
spacecraft would loiter for a considerable time at ~­0.025 AU upstream
and downstream of Earth (~­2.5x the Earth-L1 distance).

I wonder what wag came up with "Exodus"? Especially in today's political
climate. What would a second extension of the mission be called?
"Leviticus"? Having said that, however, I have to admit that, under the
Pentateuch order, a possible third and fourth extension could plausibly
be called, respectively, religous-neutral: "Numbers" [related somehow to
mathematics] and "Deuteronomy" [a merging of Deuterium and Aeronomy] ;-) 

-- 
                                                Alex R. Blackwell
                                                University of Hawaii

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Fate of Genesis bus
    ... After the sample return capsule was released, the Genesis spacecraft bus ... And remember that Genesis ... Exodus, if approved by NASA's Sun-Earth Connections Office, ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Genesis I successfully inflated
    ... Bigelow Aerospace has received confirmation from the Genesis I ... spacecraft that it has successfully expanded. ... The internal battery is reporting a full charge of ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Genesis I successfully inflated
    ... Bigelow Aerospace has received confirmation from the Genesis I ... spacecraft that it has successfully expanded. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
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