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CNN) -- Instead of the smooth midair retrieval NASA expected, the $264 million Genesis mission to study the solar wind ended in a crater in the Utah desert Wednesday. NASA scientists watched the Genesis space capsule tumble out of the sky and plunge into the desert at 193 mph near the Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The impact smashed open the science capsule, exposing its precious scientific cargo to contamination. But scientists were cautiously optimistic that the payload -- dozens of fragile tiles that had collected particles of the solar wind for about two years -- could still yield viable material. 'Certain elements of the design should help piece the science together,' said Andrew Dantzler, NASA's solar system division director. 'We don't know the condition of the collectors that hold the science. We'll be learning that in the hours, days, weeks to come.' The canister has been lifted out of its crater by helicopter and moved to a holding area next to a specially constructed clean room on the Army base, NASA reported. 'The foil wrapping will be removed from the canister and dirt will be brushed off before the canister is moved into the clean room for analysis of the contents,' according to a NASA statement. Teams from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and Lockheed Martin surveyed the site Wednesday to assess the damage. Hazardous fumes from batteries and a live explosive charge to deploy the parachute meant the teams moved cautiously. 'Part of this risky business of ours is [that] we prepare for contingencies,' Dantzler said. 'This project does have such a process to recover the science and capsule to the extent that we can.' The capsule was half buried by the force of the impact. Those on the scene reported extensive damage to the craft. Launched in 2001 from Cape Canaveral, the Genesis spacecraft traveled beyond the protective cloak of Earth's magnetosphere for two years before heading home. Because of Earth
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