The Taurus XL Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) satellite, launched Feb. 24 in the last hours of a dark Moon, died an untimely death when it crashed into the Antarctic shortly after its scheduled morning launch in California.
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OCO hours before takeoff. Image courtesy of NASA KSC/Analex and Orbital Sciences Corporation.
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This is NASA’s first launch with the Taurus XL, and it represents an expensive failure. The $278 million project was nine years in development and the engineering team spoke of its “bitter disappointment” over the loss.В
Given the tremendous cost, a rebuild of the satellite is unlikely. Now, potentially groundbreaking data on global warming and carbon dioxide will have to come from other satellites, like Japan’s recently launched Gosat.
NASA’s plans to launch a second satellite to measure carbon soot and aerosols in Earth’s atmosphere may be delayed until engineers discover why the Taurus XL launch failed. Glory, the satellite due to launch in June, will use the same Taurus XL rocket. However, engineers will first take a second look at the Taurus technology.
“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. Today, NASA faces a serious public relations and funding challenge: how to get the American public (and Congress) to support funding for science and space exploration during a deepening recession.
Contrary to the success of the 1960s Apollo missions, over the past two decades NASA’s public reputation has been tarnished by spectacular failures. These days, satellite launches and CO2 emission data are unlikely to become a reason to celebrate among lower- and middle-class Americans.
Taylor Dinerman makes this case in aВ Feb. 9 essay ofВ The Space Review.
The American public must be convinced that innovation, quality research and engineering are the only way we are going to make a sustainable recovery from this recession. Indeed, history has shown us the nations that embrace high standards of science and technology are the ones that boast the best economies.В
The primary sabotage may not be circuit board Diode A failing to connect with Diode B, but rather about how NASA fails to connect with the public. NASA’s task in the near future will be to teach us why their work is worth our investment.
M & P: Thanks. And, quickly fixed the page just now, so thanks for letting me know! [Past life, in this life, as computer programmer…] Missed testing loop, obviously 🙂
Little break from moving tasks, sun is back, yeah! And, nice to have an english friend, local, show up for the past couple hours to help. Can’t wait to garden at the new place… owner was excited this morning too – home gardening for veggies and flowers and fruit might just get a renaissance, if we all keep up the notion!
Aum.
Ditto from me Kristen, I visited your site recently, I meant to say so, but just got caught up in busy for a while – thought it was lovely. Warmest wishes from a fellow Saturn Pisces…
Kristen writes: “I object to comparison of wasted money though for this effort.”
D’accord.
Though –from what I can see– it may take a few more smack-downs of this stripe to convince these and likeminded agencies that re-tooling is a mandate. Not an option but a neccesity.
And good luck with that Saturn/Pisces thing. Sounds like a big ol’ cup o’ Maalox.
(Kalipani is a *beautiful* website… though your contact cgi is currently going to an error page – might want to check that…)
Guffaw. I’m a Taurean, and uh, been feeling like this lately in my life. Just another mirror…
I object to comparison of wasted money though for this effort. I mean we’ve spent trillions as a nation on failed and COMPLETELY unnecessary war?! I think a couple hundred million over 9 years employing thousands of people giving them tasks and meaning to pursue was/is a very sage investment and reasonable chance effort.
Then, again, it could be my ego wound up in the name of Taurus XL sleeping with the fishes… But, my Saturn is in Pisces, so wtf? Must be right on sheddule.
*grinning*