NASA within 24 to 48 hours plans to name the leader of a investigative board that will try to determine the cause of this morning's failed launch of an environmental observation satellite. The $273.4-million Orbiting Carbon Observatory, which was expected to map carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere for at least two years, plunged into the ocean near Antarctica after failing to reach orbit.
The clam shell fairing covering the spacecraft on top of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket apparently did not separate as planned less than three minutes into the flight, officials said in a briefing this morning.
The extra weight slowed the four-stage rocket's ascent and it fell back to Earth.
"Our whole team, at a very personal level, are disappointed in the events of this morning," a somber John Brunschwyler, Taurus program manager for Orbital, said during a press briefing this morning. "It's very hard, and we are, as I said, at a very personal level, upset with the results."
The 93-foot Taurus rocket and OCO spacecraft - also built by Orbital - launched at 4:55 a.m. EST from Vandenberg's Launch Complex 576-E.Everything appeared on track more than 10 minutes into the flight.
But behind the scenes, launch controllers were anxiously monitoring what they hoped were incorrect telemetry signals from the rocket. Eventually, they declared a mishap and ordered all launch information impounded for investigation.
Officials said computer commands to separate the fairing - a two-piece diamter nose cone that protects the spacecraft as it rockets through the atmosphere - appeared to have been sent properly seconds after the rocket's third stage ignited.
But the commands were not executed. The jolt of speed that should have occured after shedding the fairing never materialized.
Brunschwyler said the fairing, which measures more than five feet in diameter, had not caused problems in past flights.
This morning's liftoff was pushed back by four minutes to the later of two possible launch times because of a range safety issue. It was not believed to have had any connection to the vehicle's failure later.
NASA and Orbital officials mourned the loss of an observatory that was supposed to revolutionize understanding of the exchange of carbon dioxide in and out of Earth's atmosphere.
Extremely detailed measurements of carbon dioxide, or CO2, around the globe could have dramatically improved predictions about the future build up of the gas and its possible warming effect on the climate.
CO2 levels have risen rapidly in recent decades due to human activities like the burning of fossil fuel and deforestation.
The OCO mission had been in development for more than six years, after being selected in July 2002 as part of NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder program.
"Certainly for the science community, it's a huge disappointment," said Brunschwyler. "The anticipation of this groundbreaking spacecraft to measure what's in the forefront of every newspaper...and it's taken so long to get here."
"OCO was an important mission to measure critical elements of the carbon cycle," added Michael Frelich, director of NASA's Earth Sciences Division at NASA headquarters in Washington. "Over the next several days, weeks and months, we're going to carefully evaluate how to move forward and advance that science."
Officials declined to speculate about the possible repercussions for NASA's Glory mission, which is targeted to launch June 15 from Vandenberg on a Taurus rocket.
"Our goal will be to find a root cause for the problem, and we won't fly Glory until we have that data known to us," said NASA Launch Director Chuck Dovale of Kennedy Space Center's Launch Services Program.
The failure is the second for a Taurus in eight launches. The first, in 2001, also carried a NASA satellite.
A company statement today said Orbital "believes that it is likely that it gathered sufficient data during the flight that will enable the company to identify the cause of the failure."
Today's launch attempt came a little more than two weeks after NASA's successful launch of a weather satellite from Vandenberg, aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.
IMAGE NOTES: Click to enlarge the images. Above: NASA and Orbital Sciences Corp. officials this morning discussed the failed launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Credit: NASA TV. Below: NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory and its Taurus booster lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base this morning. Credit: NASA TV
3 comments:
Yea, we know, we know, it was yet another evil, greedy, rich-loving Republican, Bush/Chaney act of sabotage to prevent more proof of the "settled" science, the overwhelming consensus that is man made global warming. Chaney must have got it with his scatter gun as it flew across Wyoming. Or, I know, they hired Haliburton (with another no-bid contract) to take it out.
DJ LOL pardner, there are them there types that really do believe that stuff. I really think we should launch those Taurus rockets here at CCAFS, add a cople of strap on's (Boosters that is) and we can achieve polar orbit too.
Hey science community people exhale CO2 and Plants ingest it, then in their nice little way they give us back wonderful 02, What a wonderful planet that takes care of itself.
Naming another investigative panel, eh? I suppose that will do a lot of good for the people who spent eight years getting this thing ready and they have it crap out because they couldn't get a stupid aeroshell to separate. Things have really gone downhill. We used to be able to do this kind of stuff in our sleep. Now we waste 300 million of taxpayer dollars because of a lousy fairing failure.
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