February 24, 2009
The Author
NASA's first satellite, Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) of 972-pound (441 kilogram) which was designed to monitor carbon dioxide emissions with unprecedented accuracy
failed to reach the orbit and crashed into the Indian Ocean near Antarctica after launched Tuesday.
The satellite carried a single three-channel spectrometer to make its detailed measurements and was slated to launch into a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit that would fly about 438 miles (705 kilometers) above the Earth.
NASA's Associate Administrator for Science was dismayed of the incident said: "To say that it's extremely disappointing would be an understatement. This was a really important science mission."
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory which was built by Dulles-based Orbital Sciences Corp and Orbital was launched Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a Taurus XL rocket. While on its way to join of Five Earth-observing satellites known as A-Train blazed towards the space.
failed to reach the orbit and crashed into the Indian Ocean near Antarctica after launched Tuesday.
The satellite carried a single three-channel spectrometer to make its detailed measurements and was slated to launch into a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit that would fly about 438 miles (705 kilometers) above the Earth.
NASA's Associate Administrator for Science was dismayed of the incident said: "To say that it's extremely disappointing would be an understatement. This was a really important science mission."
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory which was built by Dulles-based Orbital Sciences Corp and Orbital was launched Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a Taurus XL rocket. While on its way to join of Five Earth-observing satellites known as A-Train blazed towards the space.
NASA Spokesman Steve Code, who witnessed the launch said "The mission is off to a great start!"
Weiler said the caused of the crash appeared that the protective nose cone, known as the fairing, failed to separate from the satellite. The extra masses still clinging to the satellite loss the energy of the rocket to boost into orbit which made the rocket fell back to the Earth and slammed into the ocean.
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