iceman
18-10-2004, 08:17 AM
NASA investigators think they might have a potential reason why the Genesis sample return capsule failed to deploy its parachute as it entered the Earth's atmosphere a few weeks ago. It could be that there was a design error with a switch that was supposed to detect when the capsule was decelerating into the atmosphere. It should have deployed the drogue parachute and parafoil, but it failed to do so. The investigation board hasn't ruled out other causes, though, and will probably release its final report in late November.