Here Comes the Sun

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Once Genesis reaches the desert floor, the work won't be over. Helicopter crew members — wearing Kevlar gloves to protect against the heat generated by the capsule's re-entry — will remove the cable, parafoil and hook, and attach the spacecraft to the helicopter by a shorter line. From there, it will be flown to a glass-paneled clean room at Utah's Michael Army Airfield, and later to Johnson Space Center in Houston. Only when it is in Texas will scientists crack it open and examine the primordial prize waiting inside.

By the time that work begins, Fleming will be on his way back to Hollywood, perhaps with a few new tricks to teach. "On films, I get maybe one day to plan my flights," he says. "This is the best, most well thought out flight I've ever been involved in." Here's hoping it doesn't all go to waste.