A NASA investigative board has found that an elementary design flaw is the most likely cause of the crash of the Genesis spacecraft. Four switches intended to signal the space capsule to open its parachutes were installed upside down. The parachutes never deployed and the craft, which was carrying delicate samples of particles from the sun, smashed into the Utah desert on Sept.
Log in
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.