It is regarded as the most dramatic scene in the history of American spaceflight! Two helicopters desperately chased after each other, and as a result, the saucer from space crashed into the American desert!
The saucer is not an alien flying saucer, but a sample return capsule similar to the appearance of the flying saucer, so let's understand the story behind it. Fast forward to September 8, 2004, when the Origin sample capsule containing samples of the uncontaminated solar wind was returned to earth's atmosphere.
To ensure that the 202-kilogram sample capsule landed with minimal vibration and not affect the solar wind particle disc sealed inside, NASA developed a seamless recovery program that hooked the sample capsule's parachute with a hook on the helicopter and then slowly lowered it.
When the sample module comes to an altitude of 6600 meters, it will automatically open the parachute, and then a helicopter with a hook will wait for a height of 2850 meters to hook the parachute at any time, even if this one fails, there is a second helicopter at an altitude of 300 meters waiting to hook the sample cabin parachute again.
To make sure it was foolproof, NASA also brought in the world's best helicopter pilot, Hollywood stunt pilot Fleming, and really everything was ready.
However, the most dramatic scene happened, and to everyone's surprise, the sample chamber could not open the parachute due to a design flaw, the sample chamber rushed to the ground at a speed of 86 meters per second, and despite the two helicopters desperately chasing, the disc sample capsule was smashed heavily on the Utah desert.
This is where a dish-shaped fragment appears on the ground, but fortunately the Utah desert is soft and muddy, allowing some of the solar wind samples to be preserved.