GSC Update

*After a three year trip around the Sunward part of our solar system, the Genesis spacecraft mission has come to a jarring halt- literally. Orbiting the sun and collecting solar particles on sensitive metal sheets, the spacecraft returned to Earth and sent it's cargo home in a capsule to be snagged in mid-air by helicopter for return and study. The parachutes, however, failed to open, and the capsule slammed into the Utah desert at an estimated 193mph. Causes still unknown, scientists are still optimistic about the samples. The capsule is currently being carefully cleaned and studied to determine how much of the solar particles are intact.

*Hurricanes Charley and Frances (and possibly Ivan) continue to ravage Florida and threaten the NASA complex at the Kennedy Space Center. Panels have been torn off the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) and a roof is missing from the Space Shuttle thermal tile production facility. This could significantly delay the return-to-flight status of the Shuttles, slated to fly next summer. For the first time in NASA history, the 14,000 employees of the KSC have been asked to stay home. Repairs might become an issue, because recent cutbacks in NASA's budget have forced maintenance funds to be used for other projects.

*Clebrating it's 15th Anniversary, SpaceNews has compiled this list of the "100 most influential people in civil, commercial, and military space development since 1989."

As always, source material provided by Space.com
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