Hardware problem blamed on NASA satellite crash (Orbiting Carbon Observatory)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 7/17/09 | Alicia Chang - ap

[NormsRevenge]

LOS ANGELES – A piece of rocket hardware failed to separate during the launch of a NASA climate satellite earlier this year, causing it crash back to Earth, according to an accident summary released Friday.

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory splashed into the ocean near Antarctica on Feb. 24, minutes after lifting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a Taurus rocket.

A team of space experts appointed by NASA to investigate the mishap said the nose cone that protects the satellite did not come off as planned. Although the investigators could not pinpoint the exact cause for the failed separation, they said four potential problems with the rocket's hardware may be to blame.

[FlingWingFlyer]

It’s a good thing any time part of Algore’s “climate change” scam crashes and burns.

[erkyl]

Carbon Observatory????? Were they getting that thing ready for Cap and Trade? Hmmmm..... Oh, so sad it crashed. Now what will “dear leader” do to enforce the carbon taxes?

[NormsRevenge]

NASA’s Launch of Carbon-Seeking Satellite is Unsuccessful
Feb. 24, 2009

http://oco.jpl.nasa.gov/

[NormsRevenge]

T’was a $278 million mission managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory was supposed to track global carbon dioxide emissions.

[EagleUSA]

Maybe these clowns are trying to figure out what the most plentiful atoms in the universe are.....(chuckle). The Gore-ites think everyone flunked basic science and chemistry.

[dennisw]

Global warming satellite crash and burn...makes my day. This satellite would have served as another propaganda tool. The global warming lunatics in the federal government would have warped all the data to fit into their preconceived scheme

[FlingWingFlyer]

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory splashed into the ocean near Antarctica...

Hopefully, no penguins were injured in the mishap.

[colorado tanker]

The data would have been useless anyway as man-made carbon emissions have little effect on climate.

I have to admit I chuckle every time I think about this particular satellite crashing and burning, emitting sooooooo much carbon.

[jaz.357]

Should have launched Gore instead.

[DariusBane]

So my hard earned tax dollars are building Carbon Observatories? I want off this stupid rock!

[LachlanMinnesota]

Door froze shut in this terrible humidity from the high ocean levels, no doubt.

[dennisw]

Mission

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) was a NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder Project (ESSP) mission designed to make precise, time-dependent global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) from an Earth orbiting satellite. On February 24, 2009, OCO failed to reach orbit.

CO₂ is a critical component of the Earth's atmosphere. Since the beginning of the industrial age, the concentration of CO₂ has increased by about 38%, from about 280 parts per million to over 380 parts per million. Scientific studies indicate that CO₂ is one of several gases that trap heat near the surface of the Earth. These gases are known as . Many scientists have concluded that substantial increases in the abundance of CO₂ will generate an increase in the Earth's surface temperature. Historical records provide evidence of this trend, which is often called global warming. Current research indicates that continuing increases in atmospheric CO₂ may modify the environment in a variety of ways. These changes may impact ocean currents, the jet stream and rain patterns. Some parts of the Earth might actually cool while the average temperature increases. Thus, a more correct term for this phenomenon is .

 

 

CO2 can enter the atmosphere from a variety of . Some sources are natural, such as rotting plants, forest fires and ordinary breathing. Human activities augment the emission of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Automobiles, factories and home heating units burn fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas. Burning these fossil fuels releases CO₂ into the atmosphere.

 

 

Other natural processes remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. Plants use sunlight to photosynthesize CO₂ and water into sugar and other carbohydrates. The oceans also absorb atmospheric CO₂. Sea creatures incorporate the CO₂ dissolved in sea water into their shells. After these creatures die, their shells fall to the bottom of the ocean. Over time, these sediments form carbonate rocks. Processes that absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere are often referred to as . The complete process of CO₂ exchange is known as the .

To better understand the carbon cycle, the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center of the U. S. Department of Energy tracks and monitors CO₂ emissions from a global network of ground-based sites. This network provides a tremendous amount of insight into the global abundance of CO₂ and its variability over changes in seasons. Unfortunately, the global network does not include enough stations to resolve the spatial distribution of CO₂ and at the scale of continents or ocean basins. Thus, even with these extensive measurements, the processes that regulate the exchange of CO₂ between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the are not completely understood.

Using a space-based platform, OCO would have collected a far greater number of high resolution measurements which in turn would have provided the distribution of CO₂ over the entire globe. These measurements would have been combined with data from the ground-based network to provide scientists with the information that they needed to better understand the processes that regulate atmospheric CO₂ and its role in the carbon cycle. This enhanced understanding would still be essential to improving predictions of future atmospheric CO₂ increases and their impact on the climate. This information could help policy makers and business leaders make better decisions to ensure climate stability and, at the same time, retain our quality of life.

[Behemoth the Cat]

May I assume that the quality of the engineering was the same as the quality of the science it was supposed to study?

[Behemoth the Cat]

Gore wouldn’t do. All this hot air would put him on an orbit beyond the Moon.

[cabojoe]

[BerryDingle]

The Liberals are really making Antarctica into a junkyard.
November 23, 2007.
The MS Explorer heels to starboard Friday after hitting submerged ice.

[tophat9000]

Gary 7 strikes again

[TangoLimaSierra]

Well, if it would have worked it could have tracked all the carbon it took to lift it to space.

[Domandred]

The funny part is the day before it launched I predicted it would “crash” when it started collecting data proving global warming was a hoax...think never even made it to orbit.

[Cheetahcat]

Yes looks like the SS Lefty's center of buoyancy has moved well up the Starboard side to around the railing