Launch of Orbiting Carbon Observatory Fails

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory, designed to measure how carbon
dioxide gases in the Earth atmosphere, was launched early Tuesday on a
Taurus rocket. However, due to separation problem in the satellite's
protective fairing, the launch was a failure.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ry.html?cat=15

Mark R. Whittington wrote:
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory, designed to measure how carbon
dioxide gases in the Earth atmosphere, was launched early Tuesday on
a Taurus rocket. However, due to separation problem in the
satellite's protective fairing, the launch was a failure.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ry.html?cat=15

Being a member of the peanut gallery and seeking to learn a bit more -
given the 427 kg mass of the OCO, would it be possible to get
something like that onto the "A train" with a Falcon 1e from
Kwajelein? The easily-found specs provided by SpaceX show the 1e (not
yet flown IIRC) having about a 1000kg LEO capability (vs 420 for the
1), but I suspect that is launching to the east and not polar.

rick jones
--
oxymoron n, Hummer H2 with California Save Our Coasts and Oceans plates
these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway...
feel free to post, OR email to rick.jones2 in hp.com but NOT BOTH...

On Feb 24, 9:25*am, "Mark R. Whittington"
wrote:
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory, designed to measure how carbon
dioxide gases in the Earth atmosphere, was launched early Tuesday on a
Taurus rocket. However, due to separation problem in the satellite's
protective fairing, the launch was a failure.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art..._of_orbiting_c...

Better luck next time. At least this time it didn't explode just
above the launch pad and cause several hundred other millions in
collateral damage and cover-thy-butt expenses.

~ BG

On Feb 24, 9:55�pm, BradGuth wrote:
On Feb 24, 9:25�am, "Mark R. Whittington"
wrote:

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory, designed to measure how carbon
dioxide gases in the Earth atmosphere, was launched early Tuesday on a
Taurus rocket. However, due to separation problem in the satellite's
protective fairing, the launch was a failure.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art..._of_orbiting_c...

Better luck next time. �At least this time it didn't explode just
above the launch pad and cause several hundred other millions in
collateral damage and cover-thy-butt expenses.

�~ BG

or explode in LEO adding to debris impacts espically around ISS

too bad nasa doesnt do what they did in the past .... build 2 of each
satellite in case one doesnt make it, or fails early

bob haller wrote:

:On Feb 24, 9:55?pm, BradGuth wrote:
: On Feb 24, 9:25?am, "Mark R. Whittington"
: wrote:
:
: The Orbiting Carbon Observatory, designed to measure how carbon
: dioxide gases in the Earth atmosphere, was launched early Tuesday on a
: Taurus rocket. However, due to separation problem in the satellite's
: protective fairing, the launch was a failure.
:
: http://www.associatedcontent.com/art..._of_orbiting_c...
:
: Better luck next time. ?At least this time it didn't explode just
: above the launch pad and cause several hundred other millions in
: collateral damage and cover-thy-butt expenses.
:
: ?~ BG
:
r explode in LEO adding to debris impacts espically around ISS
:
:too bad nasa doesnt do what they did in the past .... build 2 of each
:satellite in case one doesnt make it, or fails early
:

In the days of megamissions they simply can't afford to do that.


--
"Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute."
-- Charles Pinckney

On Feb 25, 7:35*am, bob haller wrote:


too bad nasa doesnt do what they did in the past .... build 2 of each
satellite in case one doesnt make it, or fails early

That was only for planetary spacecraft and not earth orbiters

On Feb 25, 10:45*am, wrote:
On Feb 25, 7:35*am, bob haller wrote:



too bad nasa doesnt do what they did in the past .... build 2 of each
satellite in case one doesnt make it, or fails early

That was only for planetary spacecraft and not earth orbiters

TDRSS: TDRS-East, TDRS-West, TDRS-Spare

Clearly the last is an extra and they all orbit in geosynchronous
around the Earth. I think you mean to say that we don't build extra
spacecraft for Earth observational satellites which are polar orbiters
which are sun-synchronous used primarily for weather, atmosphere,
ocean and earth science.

Eric

In sci.space.policy message ee99a89f-c259-4486-b93f-775316c919f1@n2g200
0vba.googlegroups.com, Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:25:18, Mark R. Whittington
posted:
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory, designed to measure how carbon
dioxide gases in the Earth atmosphere, was launched early Tuesday on a
Taurus rocket. However, due to separation problem in the satellite's
protective fairing, the launch was a failure.

Perhaps, when it was all about ready to go, the PR team put pretty
plastic stickers over the fairing joints.

--
(c) John Stockton, nr London, UK. Turnpike v6.05 MIME.
Web URL:http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/ - FAQqish topics, acronyms & links;
Astro stuff via astron-1.htm, gravity0.htm ; quotings.htm, pascal.htm, etc.
No Encoding. Quotes before replies. Snip well. Write clearly. Don't Mail News.

On Feb 25, 2:14*pm, wrote:
On Feb 25, 10:45*am, wrote:

On Feb 25, 7:35*am, bob haller wrote:

too bad nasa doesnt do what they did in the past .... build 2 of each
satellite in case one doesnt make it, or fails early

That was only for planetary spacecraft and not earth orbiters

TDRSS: TDRS-East, TDRS-West, TDRS-Spare

Clearly the last is an extra and they all orbit in geosynchronous
around the Earth. I think you mean to say that we don't build extra
spacecraft for Earth observational satellites which are polar orbiters
which are sun-synchronous used primarily for weather, atmosphere,
ocean and earth science.

Eric

1. There are many more TDRSS on orbit and operational
2. They are comsats and don't figure in this

On Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:14:25 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

too bad nasa doesnt do what they did in the past .... build 2 of each
satellite in case one doesnt make it, or fails early

That was only for planetary spacecraft and not earth orbiters

TDRSS: TDRS-East, TDRS-West, TDRS-Spare

These weren't built as backups, they were built as successors because
the satellites were only certified for 10 year lifetimes (and it has
been 23 years since first launch.) TDRSS needs two satellites all the
time, but the first three had trouble (TDRS-A launch malfunction and
service-life reduction, TDRS-B destroyed, TDRS-C fried by a solar
flare.) The Spare was usually the oldest TDRS that had just been
replaced by a new TDRS.

The newest TDRS satellites are modified commercial comsats, which made
them fairly easy to procure without incurring exhorbitant costs.

That said, I'd wager an OCO-2 gets built, or at least its instruments
get rebuilt and added to another satellite.

Brian