Emailing "Cue Conspiracy Theorists: CO2 Satellite Fails to Reach Orbit"
A satellite designed to take readings of CO2 levels in the atmosphere
failed to achieve orbit, forcing NASA to scuttle it over the Pacific.
NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory satellite failed to reach orbit after its 4:55 a.m. EST liftoff Feb. 24 from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Preliminary indications are that the fairing on the Taurus XL launch vehicle failed to separate. The fairing is a clamshell structure that encapsulates the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere.
Sad news for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory and the teams that spent eight years on the satellite. On the plus side, the scientific community won't be denied atmospheric carbon data. Dr. Micheal Freilich, Director of the Earth Sciences Division of NASA, says that Japan's GOSAT, which launched in January, takes "complementary measurements" and that advancements in algorithms are extending the capabilities of other instruments presently in orbit.
[via
Gizmodo]