NASA’s “flying saucer” had crashed, sent helicopters to chase

The sealed capsule of NASA’s Origins probe accidentally crashed into the Utah desert while returning a sample.

A few years ago, a NASA “flying saucer” accidentally crashed in the Utah desert after being tracked by radar and helicopters, but fortunately did not hit any people or structures.

NASA shared a photo of the saucer’s crash in the 2018 Astronomy Picture of the Day segment. This incident occurred in 2004 and did not involve aliens.

In fact, the “flying saucer” was a sealed capsule used by the Genesis probe to return its sample collection, and it was returned to Earth when its parachute malfunctioned and it crashed directly into the ground at a speed of more than 300 kilometers per hour.

Under normal circumstances, 127 seconds after the capsule entered the atmosphere, it would have released a reserve parachute to decelerate and stabilize its landing, followed by the opening of the main parachute for a gentle landing at the Utah Test and Training Range.

Origins is a space probe launched in 2001 to collect solar wind particles and return samples to Earth for study in order to solve mysteries about the origin and evolution of the solar system.

This is an artist’s rendering of Origins. (NASA)

Origins has been collecting solar wind particles in orbit around the Sun, which are usually diverted by the Earth’s magnetic field. To return the collected samples to Earth, the probe is equipped with the aforementioned saucer-like sealed capsule.

As you can see from the photos NASA shared, this sealed capsule was partially inserted under the ground after crashing into the ground, while two helicopters were parked not far away.

NASA said the capsule did not have any personnel or structures nearby when it hit the ground. Despite its heavy fall to the ground, many of the samples inside it remained well-preserved enough to be used for analysis.

So far, Origins’ findings include new details about the composition of the sun and how certain elements differ in large numbers within the solar system. These results help people understand how the sun and planets formed billions of years ago.