The real Genesis Project approaches a major milestone after three years and ten billion kilometers of activity. Flown to a balance point between the Sun and the Earth, this craft sat there with collection wafers exposed for almost two and a half years gathering ions blown with the solar wind. Genesis performed this work from 3 December 01 to April 2 earlier this year and now speeds home bearing its prize with estimated arrival anticipated one week from today. This represents the first U.S. robotic sample mission as well as the first mission ever to return matter collected beyond the Moon, previous achievements being lunar crumbs returned by Russian robot and rocks brought back by Apollo astronauts all some thirty years ago.
Samples of oxygen, nitrogen and other elements caught by the high purity wafers have been secured for their rough ride plunging into the planet's atmosphere. After re-entry the plan calls for the Genesis payload to deploy a "parafoil" followed by a helicopter catch over Utah. This sort of interception is nothing new; satellites have been returning data in this manner since Eisenhower. But this is an altogether different scale of mass and scientific importance. Imagine trying to pluck a two hundred kilogram hockey puck gliding through the air after it has returned from the sun!
Once recovered the Genesis science canister will be delivered for examination at NASA's Johnson Space Center in the cleanroom below the one used to inspect the moonrocks. Several hundred micrograms of payload will be studied and preserved in the cleanest cleanroom complex constructed specifically by NASA to house these samples. This is a "class 10" cleanroom, designed to allow only ten particles of contaminant per cubic meter. The total cost of the mission, including the initial rocket used to boost Genesis into space, comes to about $260 million dollars which by my calculations means the payload material is worth about a trillion dollars per gram!
Genesis promises to be forerunner of a decade's worth of missions set to bring back bits of comet, interstellar dust, and maybe even more specimens from our one large natural satellite or even Mars. (I think the next is Japan's Hayabusa project returning asteroid surface scrapings to Earth some three years from now.) Can't wait to see what the scientists make of their treasure. While this Genesis may not produce planets with the flag of the Federation fluttering in the breeze, it is impressive, and at least we don't have to worry about Klingons trying to steal it!