Pilot snags vital space role

On Sept. 8, Dan Rudert will put on the flying performance of his life, piloting a helicopter above Dugway Proving Ground. But unlike his flights for Hollywood movies, this time it's for real — and there will be only one take.

Rudert's flying prowess will be essential to the safe return of the first space probe to bring back samples from far beyond Earth's orbit. The Genesis capsule houses treasures never before seen, minute bits of the material that blows off the sun at 1 million mph.

A resident of Salt Lake City for 39 years, Rudert moved to Los Angeles six or seven years ago. But he comes back to Utah two or three months a year, continuing to fly for Classic Helicopters in this area during the summer months.

Among highlights of his career so far were flying for films like "The Incredible Hulk," "We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young" and "Charlie's Angels." He placed Britney Spears on a 900-foot cliff above Lake Powell and flew close by for a music video. He chased Lance Armstrong, buzzing a few feet over the cycling champion as he pedaled through city streets for a car commercial.

But the most thrilling experience may come on Sept. 8. "It's really a privilege and it's an honor, to be a civilian helicopter pilot and to work with the likes of NASA, JPL (The Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Lockheed-Martin and all their brilliant scientists and engineers," he said in a telephone interview.

He is amazed that these specialists could launch the Genesis probe into deep space, use it to gather particles from the solar wind and send it back to Earth.

After its three-year cruise, Genesis will enter Earth's atmosphere over northwestern Oregon. From there "to where it gets to where we catch it there at Dugway, takes 80 seconds," he said.

"Can you believe it? This thing is going 24,700 miles an hour."

At an altitude of 20 miles, he noted, a parachute will slow the descent of the capsule, which weighs 452 pounds. A 35-foot parafoil will open at 20,000 feet above sea level.

Meanwhile, Hill Air Force radar, based about 100 miles to the north, will identify the capsule as it glides above Dugway. Controllers will radio instructions for the two helicopters to fly in formation to a rendezvous.

The helicopters fly in formation about 300 or 400 feet apart. Their crews should be able to spot the capsule when it is at 13,000 or 12,000 feet above the harsh desert ground, assuming the day is clear.