Stardust hopes:  Continuing from yesterday about the prospects for a safe recovery of the Stardust comet mission sample return capsule (SRC) using a parachute system similar to that of the Genesis mission that failed last month, the Rocky Mountain News has another report today. It says that the deceleration detecting gravity switches in the Genesis SRC, which were to trigger parachute deployment, were installed backward, as called for in the design. There were two sets of two switches, with one set as a backup, and all four of the small simple devices were oriented in the wrong direction to do their job.

“ The gravity switches appear to have been installed properly in the Stardust capsule, said Orlando Figueroa, a NASA deputy associate administrator. Even so, the space agency has added “a significant number of new reviews in the process, to make sure that we do not miss anything,” he said Friday. The extra reviews could add several million dollars to Stardust's $165.6 million cost. ”

Risk monitoring 16 Oct.

The Saturday Daily Orbit Update MPEC has additional 2004 TD18 positions from the Spacewatch 1.8m telescope in Arizona early yesterday UT, within the discovery and confirmation observation arc. Today JPL cut its count of preliminary impact solutions by a third and very, very slightly raised its low risk assessment.