Capsule from Genesis Space Probe Crashes in Utah Desert

 

By Jessica Berman
 
Scientists with the U.S. space agency NASA have begun investigating the crash landing Wednesday of the Genesis space capsule in Utah. The mission came to a disastrous¹ end when a parachute attached to the capsule did not open, sending the vehicle crashing to the ground. Scientists are hoping to recover as much data as they can from the wrecked² space probe.

To avoid a crash landing, NASA devised a bold plan for three helicopters, including one flown by a Hollywood stunt³ pilot, to snag the 191-kilogram Genesis space capsule in the skies over Utah and ease it to the ground.

But moments after the probe entered earth's atmosphere, with what NASA officials describe as "pinpoint⁴ accuracy," mission controllers knew something had gone terribly wrong.

Mission Controllers: "Looks like we have no [para]chute sir. Look for an impact."

A parafoil, and possibly a back-up parachute, did not deploy⁵. The parachutes were designed to slow down the Genesis capsule enough so the lead helicopter could pluck it out of the sky. Instead, the space probe went hurtling to the ground at approximately 300 kilometers per hour and crashed at a remote spot at Dugway Air Force Base in Utah.

Officials say no one was hurt. But the capsule appears to have sustained extensive damage. And officials say a canister containing solar wind particles gathered by Genesis in deep space during its three-year mission is also damaged.

Recovery teams were immediately dispatched to secure the site and to make sure it's safe for investigators⁶. The capsule contained unexploded munitions⁷. The explosives are used to deploy the parachutes.

NASA says it will begin an investigation⁸ within 72 hours.

A tired Don Sweetman, who heads the Genesis project mission, says almost everything went as planned.

"You know, I have run through in my head the mental scenario⁹ of every step of the way," said Mr. Sweetman. "And boy it clicked off perfectly¹⁰ today. But there's a lot of serious steps and a lot of things that have to happen in series, and we got just about all of them done and we just didn't get the last two or three done."

Mr. Sweetman says scientists will soon begin trying to recover as much data as they can from the damaged Genesis canister in an attempt to salvage¹¹ the $264 million mission.

Jessica Berman, VOA News, Washington.

注释：
investigate 调查
disastrous 损失惨重的
wrecked　毁坏的
parafoil 翼伞
sustain 遭受
dispatch 派遣
munition 军需品
scenario 情景，场面
salvage 抢救

1 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

2 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

3 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

4 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

5 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

6 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

10 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

11 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。