Nasa Says Solar Dust May Be Salvaged From Damaged Genesis Canister

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (AFP) - NASA said Thursday it was hopeful that solar dust captured by the Genesis space probe could be salvaged from the spacecraft's damaged sample canister.
"The canister has been ripped open," said David Lindstrom, Genesis Program Scientist at NASA headquarters. "There is a six-inch gap between the top and the bottom.
The probe crashed on re-entry in the Utah desert Wednesday after its parachute failed to open, after a three-year mission which scientists hoped would yield clues about the origin of the solar system.
"We are very hopeful of getting some material," Lindstrom said. "The sample canister is broad open, some of its content came out. We have been lucky, it's only dirt and slightly sticky mud."
Lindstrom said the canister was taken to a cleanroom at the US Army Dugway Proving Ground in Utah near the site where the returning space probe crashed.
He said 48 hours would be needed to ascertain with certainty if the material is usable.
"Overall, the science community is optimistic because the particles are implanted within the collectors," said Lindstrom.
Ultimately the solar samples will be taken to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for study and preservation.