Genesis spacecraft retrieval. Helicopter practising the retrieval of the sample return capsule (SRC) of the Genesis spacecraft. Genesis was launched in 2001 to collect samples of solar wind particles. It is hoped that this material will supply information on the composition of the Sun and the origins of the solar system. The mission ends on the 8th September 2004, when the SRC will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. To ensure the capsule is retrieved unharmed and uncontaminated, it is to be snagged in mid-air by waiting helicopters. The long pole underneath the helicopter will snag the parachute and then carry the capsule to a clean room at an air field.