Practising mid-air retrieval of the Genesis sample return capsule at the Utah Test and Training Range.
Capture helicopters at the US Army Dugway Proving Ground, Utah
The plan to have helicopters snag the space capsule went wrong when its parachutes failed to open.
Flight engineers suspect a set of tiny explosives failed to trigger the parachutes.
Although the capsule hit the desert at a reported 193 mph, it embedded itself in soft desert soil.
Scientists hope the mission will not be a total loss.
