2004

• NASA's Genesis spacecraft crash-landed in the Utah desert on September 8, 2004, after its parachutes failed to deploy. • The mission was the agency's first attempt to return samples to Earth since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. • A basic design flaw caused the crash, which shattered the collected solar wind particles gathered from the sun.

• On August 3, 2004, NASA launched the MESSENGER spacecraft, marking the first mission designed to orbit the innermost planet, Mercury. • The spacecraft was specifically tasked with exploring the planet's composition and hunting for evidence of water. • This mission was significant as it provided the first detailed orbital data on Mercury, helping scientists understand the planet's geological history and magnetic field.