NASA Earth observation satellite fails to reach orbit

Washington: NASA satellite designed to study the effect of aerosols on climate is plunged into the Pacific Ocean on Friday, speaking with a $ 424-million blow to the U.S. space agency.
The failure of the satellite launch of Fame second clumsy efforts of NASA's climate science in two years and recalls a failed satellite launch carbon involving the same company, Orbital Sciences Corp, in 2009.
Glory was unable to reach orbit after its protective clamshell-like nose cone cover failed to detach after launch, the engineers said they were struggling to figure out why the collapse of expensive technology happened again.
"We're all pretty devastated," said Ron Grabe, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Systems Group Virginia-based Orbital's Launch, which is produced as rockets and satellites.
Ghraib, appeared at a news conference on Friday along with the other grim-faced executives and NASA specialists, as the U.S. space agency announced the creation of "Mishap Investigation Board to assess the causes of failure."
"We encountered no anomalies" in the early stages, NASA launch director Omar Baez told reporters.
But after a few minutes in flight, it became clear that the separation of cover, known as the fairing did not happen.
"We saw no indication of the payload fairing separation," said Baez. "We could not make orbit and all indications are that the satellite and the rocket is in the South Pacific somewhere."
Sputnik's launch - which was to measure aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere to help clarify their impact on climate - was arrested Feb. 23 after an unexpected reference reading 15 minutes before the start.
On Friday, he started from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard the four stages of Taurus-XL rocket at 2:09 am (1009 GMT), but soon the NASA reported that it slowed down and did not reach orbit.
A similar accident occurred in February 2009, when the satellite is designed to monitor the global carbon dioxide emissions fell into the ocean near Antarctica after failing to reach orbit, in a setback for climate science.
There too, a fatal error of the mission occurred minutes after launch when the payload fairing, which protects the satellite during its ascent, failed to separate properly.
But experts said it was too early to know if the Glory failed for exactly the same reason, and that more analysis was needed.
"We're crunching data, but there is not enough data have been processed to say more than fairing not deploy," said Rick Straka, Vice General Manager of Orbital.
Grabe said the engineers have done extensive research on the previous failure, and went so far as to completely change from the beginning of the system and replace it with another one that flew successfully three times.
"So we really went into this trip feeling confident that we nailed the fairing issue," said Grabe.
"There are a lot of emotional investment on the part of all players on any space mission, but it is likely to double by the return to flight efforts like this," he said.
"We will rebuild. The team will return. They are all professionals and Orbital Sciences will be returned to the vehicle Taurus," says Grabe.
Satellite itself weighed 1,164 pounds (528 kilograms), and conducted two basic tools, aerosols Polarimetry Sensor and total irradiance monitor, which should have been directed at the sun.
Glory was to chart the course of the orbital 340 nautical miles (630 kilometers) above Earth, before using on-board propulsion system to raise its orbit to 438 nautical miles (811 kilometers).
It was then that must adhere to the so-called "A-Train" of Earth-observing satellites NASA sent.
Five already have - Aqua, CloudSat, Calipso, umbrella and Aura -. Flying in formation, crossing the equator every day (AFP)