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Author
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Topic: NASA's Glory mission to Earth's atmosphere
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-25-2008 07:50 PM
NASA release Send Your Name Around The Earth On NASA's Glory MissionMembers of the public can send their names around Earth on NASA's Glory satellite, the first mission dedicated to understanding the effects of particles in the atmosphere and the sun's variability on our climate. The "Send Your Name Around the Earth" Web site enables everyone to take part in the science mission and place their names in orbit for years to come. Participants will receive a printable certificate from NASA and have their name recorded on a microchip that will become part of the spacecraft. The deadline for submitting names is Nov. 1, 2008. The Glory satellite will allow scientists to measure airborne particles more accurately from space than ever before. The particles, known as "aerosols," are tiny bits of material found in Earth's atmosphere, like dust and smog. "Undoubtedly, greenhouse gases cause the biggest climatic effect," said Michael Mishchenko, the Glory project scientist at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. "But the uncertainty in the aerosol effect is the biggest uncertainty in climate at the present." Glory will carry two scientific instruments, the Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor, or APS, and the Total Irradiance Monitor, or TIM, and two cameras for cloud identification. The APS instrument will help quantify the role of aerosols as natural and human-produced agents of climate change more accurately than existing measurement tools. The TIM instrument will continue 30 years of measuring total solar irradiance, the amount of energy radiating from the sun to Earth, with improved accuracy and stability. Understanding the sun's energy is an important key to understanding climate change on Earth. Glory is scheduled for launch in June 2009 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Glory will orbit as part of the Afternoon Constellation, or "A-Train," a series of Earth-observing satellites. The A-Train spacecraft follow each other in close formation, crossing the equator a few minutes apart shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time each day. The A-Train orbits Earth once every 100 minutes. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., is responsible for Glory project management. Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles, Va., is responsible for development, integration and operations of the spacecraft. Raytheon in El Segundo, Calif., is responsible for development of the APS. The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, Colo., is responsible for the development of the TIM. Glory's cloud cameras were built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies of Boulder. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-23-2011 05:51 AM
NASA release Glory's launch on Taurus delayedThe launch of NASA's Glory spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has been postponed at least 24 hours. During the final 15 minutes before Wednesday's scheduled launch of 4:09 a.m. CST (1009 GMT), the vehicle interface control console, a ground interface with Orbital Sciences' Taurus XL rocket, gave an unexpected reading. The cause and potential effect of the reading was not fully understood. With a 48-second available launch window, there was insufficient time to analyze the issue causing the launch to be postponed. Members of the Taurus team are troubleshooting the issue. The next launch attempt is no earlier than Thursday, Feb. 24, at 4:09 a.m. CST. Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate. Both aerosols and solar energy influence the planet's energy budget -- the amount of energy entering and exiting Earth's atmosphere. An accurate measurement of these impacts is important in order to anticipate future changes to our climate and how they may affect human life. The first of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, missions will also launch on the Taurus XL. These auxiliary payloads are small satellites called CubeSats. Each is designed and created by university and college students. Three satellites will be deployed on ELaNa-1. Project management for Glory is the responsibility of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., is the launch service provider of the four-stage Taurus XL rocket and is also builder of the Glory satellite for Goddard. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-23-2011 09:21 PM
NASA release NASA Schedules Next Glory Mission Launch AttemptThe launch of NASA’s Glory spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is currently planned for no earlier than Friday, Feb. 25 at 5:09 a.m. EST. Engineers from NASA and Orbital Sciences Corp. continue to troubleshoot a technical issue that arose during Wednesday's initial launch attempt. The target launch date also will ensure personnel get the required rest before entering another countdown. The Glory satellite is being launched aboard an Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket on a mission to improve our understanding of how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate. NASA Television will broadcast the launch live. Live coverage is planned to begin at 3:30 a.m. EST. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-03-2011 07:40 AM
NASA release NASA's Glory Satellite Scheduled for Launch on March 4NASA's Glory spacecraft is scheduled for launch on Friday, March 4. Technical issues with ground support equipment for the Taurus XL launch vehicle led to the scrub of the original Feb. 23 launch attempt. Those issues have been resolved. The March 4 liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., is targeted for 5:09:43 a.m. EST, in the middle of a 48-second launch window. Spacecraft separation occurs 13 minutes after launch. Data from the Glory mission will allow scientists to better understand how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate. The Taurus XL also carries the first of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite missions. This auxiliary payload contains three small satellites called CubeSats, which were designed and created by university and college students. NASA Television will carry launch coverage beginning March 4 at 3:30 a.m. |
issman1 Member Posts: 1042 From: UK Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 03-04-2011 05:10 AM
NASA Glory mission ends in failure It appears the fairing - the part of the rocket which covers the satellite on top of the launcher - did not separate properly. Is the fairing mechanism on Taurus XL the same as the one for Taurus II, since the latter will be used to launch supplies to the International Space Station? |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-04-2011 05:45 AM
NASA update After Liftoff of Taurus XL Rocket, Fairing Fails to SeparateThe Glory spacecraft and Taurus XL rocket lifted off this morning on time at 2:09:43 a.m. PST/5:09:43 a.m. EST. About six minutes into the launch, a spacecraft contingency was declared by Launch Director Omar Baez. Data indicates the rocket fairing did not separate. Orbital Sciences release Orbital's Launch of Taurus XL Rocket is UnsuccessfulNASA's Glory Satellite Fails to Achieve Orbit Orbital Sciences Corporation today announced that the launch of its Taurus XL rocket, which lifted off earlier today at 2:09 a.m. (PST), from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California carrying the company-built Glory satellite for NASA, was unsuccessful. Preliminary indications are that the rocket's payload fairing, a clamshell mechanism that encases the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere, failed to separate from the rocket. The previous time a Taurus XL rocket was launched was in 2009 for NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) mission. That launch also resulted in a failure due to a fairing separation problem. Since that time Orbital redesigned and tested the fairing separation system. Orbital will immediately convene a failure investigation board that will include representative from the company and NASA to determine the cause of today's launch failure. Orbital believes that it is likely that sufficient data was gathered to be able to determine the cause of the fairing separation failure. |
SpaceAholic Member Posts: 4437 From: Sierra Vista, Arizona Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-04-2011 06:31 AM
Deja vu... NASA lost a bird not too long ago due to the same issue and I believe the same launch system (Taurus). Not a good day to be an Orbital shareholder. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-04-2011 07:28 AM
That was NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, which also did not reach orbit because the Taurus launch vehicle fairing failed to separate upon command. There were changes made to the fairing after the loss of OCO, so the nature of the two failures is not necessarily the same. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-04-2011 08:21 AM
NASA release NASA Creates Glory Satellite Mishap Investigation BoardNASA's Glory mission ended Friday after the spacecraft failed to reach orbit following its launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. NASA has begun the process of creating a Mishap Investigation Board to evaluate the cause of the failure. Telemetry indicated the fairing, a protective shell atop the satellite's Taurus XL rocket, did not separate as expected. The launch proceeded as planned from its liftoff at 5:09 a.m. EST through the ignition of the Taurus XL's second stage. However, the fairing failure occurred during the second stage engine burn. It is likely the spacecraft fell into the South Pacific, although the exact location is not yet known. NASA's previous launch attempt of an Earth science spacecraft, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory onboard a Taurus XL on Feb. 24, 2009, also failed to reach orbit when the fairing did not separate. NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory Mishap Investigation Board reviewed launch data and the fairing separation system design, and developed a corrective action plan. The plan was implemented by Taurus XL manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corporation. In October 2010, NASA's Flight Planning Board confirmed the successful closure of the corrective actions. The Glory Earth-observing satellite was intended to improve our understanding of how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate. |
Go4Launch Member Posts: 542 From: Seminole, Fla. Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 03-04-2011 09:05 AM
quote: Originally posted by SpaceAholic: Not a good day to be an Orbital shareholder.
Indeed -- Orbital off almost 8 percent this morning... Ouch. |
Fezman92 Member Posts: 1031 From: New Jersey, USA Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 03-04-2011 11:23 AM
That's a real shame. I followed this mission and was really hoping to see what data it would collect. |
Blackarrow Member Posts: 3120 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-05-2011 09:09 AM
Two lost satellites. I assume Taurus XL was selected as the launch vehicle because it was cheaper. Sounds like the definition of "false economy." |
capoetc Member Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 03-05-2011 10:16 AM
Apparently, six of Taurus XL's nine launch attempts have been successful, including its first five attempts. Three of the last four have ended in failure.Way too small a sample size to declare the system a bust at this point, in my opinion. That's an awful lot of NASA $$$ down the tubes though... |
Blackarrow Member Posts: 3120 From: Belfast, United Kingdom Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-05-2011 11:00 AM
Agreed, but anyone responsible for public money would seriously have to ask, from here on, whether it is appropriate to spend public money using a launch-system which has failed in three of its last four attempts. You can understand the decision after five consecutive successes, but 6 out of 9 is very poor and 1 out of 4 is totally unacceptable. They would need to demonstrate several successful tests in a row before anyone could responsibly trust a publically-funded payload to the Taurus XL. In my opinion. |
capoetc Member Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 03-05-2011 01:39 PM
You may be right ... but, if it is truly going to be a free-market space launch environment, then let the free market decide if the launch system is worthy or not.Three of the last four ending in failure should not necessarily disqualify the booster from consideration, but it should surely be a part of anyone's decision (not just NASA) to hire Orbital to launch a payload on Taurus XL. |
hlbjr Member Posts: 475 From: Delray Beach Florida USA Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 03-06-2011 06:50 AM
Funny thing about Orbital and their Taurus XL is they are succeeding with the hard part which is fielding a multi-stage rocket which is performing perfectly. To have the payload fairing sep issue must be extremely frustrating as that is a relatively lesser technical task than the successful launch of a multi-stage rocket. The Minotaur series have performed well as has the Pegasus so this is a real head scratcher. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-30-2019 04:44 PM
NASA release NASA Investigation Uncovers Cause of Two Science Mission Launch FailuresNASA Launch Services Program (LSP) investigators have determined the technical root cause for the Taurus XL launch failures of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) and Glory missions in 2009 and 2011, respectively: faulty materials provided by aluminum manufacturer, Sapa Profiles, Inc. (SPI). LSP's technical investigation led to the involvement of NASA's Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). DOJ's efforts, recently made public, resulted in the resolution of criminal charges and alleged civil claims against SPI, and its agreement to pay $46 million to the U.S. government and other commercial customers. This relates to a 19-year scheme that included falsifying thousands of certifications for aluminum extrusions to hundreds of customers. NASA's updated public summary of the launch failures, which was published Tuesday, comes after a multiyear technical investigation by LSP and updates the previous public summaries on the Taurus XL launch failures for the OCO and Glory missions. Those public summaries concluded that the launch vehicle fairing — a clamshell structure that encapsulates the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere — failed to separate on command, but no technical root cause had been identified. From NASA's investigation, it is now known that SPI altered test results and provided false certifications to Orbital Sciences Corporation, the manufacturer of the Taurus XL, regarding the aluminum extrusions used in the payload fairing rail frangible joint. A frangible joint is a structural separation system that is initiated using ordnance. "NASA relies on the integrity of our industry throughout the supply chain. While we do perform our own testing, NASA is not able to retest every single component. That is why we require and pay for certain components to be tested and certified by the supplier," said Jim Norman, NASA's director for Launch Services at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "When testing results are altered and certifications are provided falsely, missions fail. In our case, the Taurus XLs that failed for the OCO and Glory missions resulted in the loss of more than $700 million, and years of people's scientific work. It is critical that we are able to trust our industry to produce, test and certify materials in accordance with the standards we require. In this case, our trust was severely violated." To protect the government supply chain, NASA suspended SPI from government contracting and proposed SPI for government-wide debarment. The exclusion from government contracting has been in effect since Sept. 30, 2015. NASA also has proposed debarment for Hydro Extrusion Portland, Inc.,formerly known as SPI,and the company currently is excluded from contracting throughout the federal government. "Due in large part to the hard work and dedication of many highly motivated people in the NASA Launch Services program, we are able to close out the cause of two extremely disappointing launch vehicle failures and protect the government aerospace supply chain," said Amanda Mitskevich, LSP program manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in, Florida. "It has taken a long time to get here, involving years of investigation and testing, but as of today, it has been worth every minute, and I am extremely pleased with the entire team's efforts." | |
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