                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2022 November 13

                  Flying Saucer Crash Lands in Utah Desert
         Image Credit: USAF 388th Range Sqd., Genesis Mission, NASA

   Explanation: A flying saucer from outer space crash-landed in the Utah
   desert after being tracked by radar and chased by helicopters. The year
   was 2004, and no space aliens were involved. The saucer, pictured here,
   was the Genesis sample return capsule, part of a human-made robot
   Genesis spaceship launched in 2001 by NASA itself to study the Sun. The
   unexpectedly hard landing at over 300 kilometers per hour occurred
   because the parachutes did not open as planned. The Genesis mission had
   been orbiting the Sun collecting solar wind particles that are usually
   deflected away by Earth's magnetic field. Despite the crash landing,
   many return samples remained in good enough condition to analyze. So
   far, Genesis-related discoveries include new details about the
   composition of the Sun and how the abundance of some types of elements
   differ across the Solar System. These results have provided intriguing
   clues into details of how the Sun and planets formed billions of years
   ago.

                       Tomorrow's picture: sky wizard
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

