Dropping it would make a good owned picture

Damn, I really hope they catch it on tape, seems like quite a feat in my book. :D
 
The Genesis probe, which left Earth in 2001 to gather particles blown off the Sun, returns its cargo on Wednesday.
Click to expand...

I thought it said that it blew up.
 
Uhm... so why don't they just drop it over the ocean like they did before they had shuttles? They're putting however million/billion dollars worth of time and research in the hands of only TWO stunt pilots? It sounds so stupid, it must be true.
 
DreamThrall said:
Uhm... so why don't they just drop it over the ocean like they did before they had shuttles? They're putting however million/billion dollars worth of time and research in the hands of only TWO stunt pilots? It sounds so stupid, it must be true.
Click to expand...


cos it gets NASA precious time in the news! see!

and it probably has something to do with sealed compartments, damaging the samples and stuff etc.
 
Well, at least they're not using stunt helicopters. That would be a bad idea.
 
Actually, it's not as far fetched as it sounds. The military has been playing with this mode of retrieval for some 40 years. It's a tad crude, but it does seem to work most of the time.

That is, of course, if NASA remembers whether they programmed meters or feet..... again. :)
 
Crude? How is it crude compared to letting it drop all the way to the Earth's surface and hoping it doesn't break?

P.S. Nasa are making cool flying robots that shall hover around space shuttles helping out, like flying PCs, it would seem they are only really doing it for the cool factor as the money they have spent could have covered their space crafts in Palmtops.
 
It's a crude method considering the fact that NASA is able to land remote vehicles on other frigging planets! Surely they could have thought of something more sophisticated than this method. Cheaper.. probably not, but it's still a crude method of retrieving a multi million dollar piece of machinery...hehe. :)

[edit] NASA is also quite well versed in letting things drop onto surfaces and hoping they don't break. :)
 
that's what i'm saying, they are taking it up a notch, it is less crude than the dropping method no matter how well versed they are in it.

A kid catching a ball impresses me more than a kid picking up a ball he dropped.
 
They've done 60 some odd test flights with the same exact type of gear that will be dropped, and they were all completely sucessful.
 
Whoops....

Maybe I tempted fate a wee bit :eek:

ouchie - just saw it on newsround :)o) slamming into the ground :/
 
Crashed eh.. So who's gonna be first with a owned pic then?

For those in the UK it'll be on the news in a few minutes if you wanna grab some stills of it hitting the ground :)
 
Tihihihi.
/me finds the whole thing very funny.

Right, I'll get my coat :|
 
Varg|Hund said:
Tihihihi.
/me finds the whole thing very funny.

Right, I'll get my coat :|
Click to expand...
I wonder how many studios will trust those guys with actors if they can't catch that. Ok the shoots didn't open but it wasn't as funny if I said that :p

I kinda feel sorry for them though, nothing ever goes right for NASA, you'd think they'd give up.
 
The Dark Elf said:
I wonder how many studios will trust those guys with actors if they can't catch that. Ok the shoots didn't open but it wasn't as funny if I said that :p

I kinda feel sorry for them though, nothing ever goes right for NASA, you'd think they'd give up.
Click to expand...


Budget just keeps shrinking and the demands just keep getting higher. NASA is falling apart.
 
If they don't build some warp ships in the next 15 years or so, then NASA can rot for all I care :thumbs:
 
Does anyone get an image from this stream? It's just the audio for me.

Edit: nm, got it.
 
Damn... that gotta hurt :|

Half of me was hoping that would go smoothly, in the interests of scientific discovery.

The other (more evil) side of me was hoping for total destruction.

Ah well, half of me is happy, atleast.
 
AudioRage said:
They've done 60 some odd test flights with the same exact type of gear that will be dropped, and they were all completely sucessful.
Click to expand...

AHAHAHAHA... sorry NASA. pfffff....

"Hey for the real thing, how about, what the hell, lets try and do it with some penach."
"aww hell"

Whether there will be enough science left inside remains to be seen.
Click to expand...
Well seeing as it slammed into the earth and you didn't want that to happen...i wouldn't get my hopes up.
 
A half-assed 'owned' pic for ya... I think the number is right.
Some bigger pics would be nice, but I'm feeling lazy.
 
PunisherUSA said:
A half-assed 'owned' pic for ya... I think the number is right.
Some bigger pics would be nice, but I'm feeling lazy.
Click to expand...


Looks to me like the guy is about to urinate on it...Now that really would rub it in.
 
Farrowlesparrow said:
Tihihihi...Do you laugh like that?
Click to expand...
Hrmm...No..Of course not...I laugh in a manly "Hahaha" way. yeah. that's right. manly haha.

/me runs.
 
Yes, let us all be manly.

I like cars and girls!....Girl cars! :D

Wait..No thats not right :eek:

;)


Moving back on topic a little. This wafer thing puts me in mind of The Meaning of Life :p
 
Gravity is bad mmmmkayyyy.

Quick question: Why on earth were they using helicopters to retrieve the device from the air? They are massive spinning blades that would mince it up with a wrong move, not to mention they are almost impossible to control when you're decending at the same rate as the parachuted device.

I'd have chosen a light aircraft myself, tried and tested they are perfect for air recovery options like this.

Oh well, guess it doesn't matter now anyway... the chopper pilots didn't have a chance of catching that ;( James Bond might have done it, by cutting the engine and freefalling alongside the thing, and restarting engines at the last second and recovering just inches from the ground... but I guess he was too busy elsewhere today.
 
Light aircraft have spinning blades to. The propeler is at the front, putting it that much closer to the parachute. If the plane were to fly over the parachute in the way they would have to, there is a chance the parachute would be sucked towards the propeler and get tangled.
 
They were using helicopters because the device would have been descending slowly. You can't use a fixed wing aircraft for this, as it takes time to turn around if you miss it and try again. Helicopters can descend with the device all the way to the ground (no chance of the rotors catching it, the hook was on a great big long cable).
 
choppers make a mess of the airflow though - and some planes don't have big spinning blades - look at gliders :) Plus there's the fact theres little to no chance of an experienced pilot missing the device in a plane as you guide it in slowly and have ample time to adjust your flight path to intercept it. I'd have used a plane anyway... choppers are just bitches for precision flying, specially in a rapid descent.
 
Perhaps why they got stunt men who do these kinds of things all the time, and the point about intercepting it that doom made still stands :D
 
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