The NASA Glory Satellite crashes into ocean
I am very disappointed to relay the news that the NASA Glory Satellite Mission failed when the Taurus XL rocket Carrying the Satellite had a malfunction before reaching orbit due to the failure of the rocket's fairing to separate. The fairing, which covers and protects the spacecraft during launch and ascent, underwent a redesign of its separation system after a similar failure two years ago. The new system has been successfully used on another Orbital launch vehicle several times.
This article covers the basics of the admirable goals of the NASA Glory Satellite Mission then gives the rest of NASA's anouncement concerning the mission failure. You can click on this link to read about the wildly succesful ongoing Stardust Next mission for a little pick up after this let down.
Mission Details
| The Earth's energy balance and the effect on climate requires measuring black carbon soot and other aerosols, and the total solar irradiance. Glory is a low Earth orbit (LEO) scientific research satellite designed to achieve two major goals: |
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| + Collect data on the properties of aerosols, including black carbon, in the Earth's atmosphere and climate system. It will enable a greater understanding of the seasonal variability of aerosol properties.
+ Collect data on solar irradiance for the long-term effects on the Earth climate record. Understanding whether the temperature increase and climate changes are by-products of natural events or whether the changes are caused by man-made sources is of primary importance. |
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NASA Glory Satellite InstrumentsThe Glory spacecraft is equipped with the following scientific instrumentation: The Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM); and the Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS), along with its two supporting Cloud Cameras. Total Irradiance MonitorThe Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) instrument is built by the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, Colorado. The instrument measures the amount of solar energy that enters the Earth's atmosphere. This information will help researchers understand any long-term changes in the amount of energy coming from the Sun and how those changes affect Earth's climate. The accuracy of Glory's TIM instrument is expected to be better than that of any other solar irradiance instruments currently in space. It will follow a record of observations made by an earlier TIM instrument flown on the SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) mission, and continue an uninterrupted series of solar observations that span the past 30 years. The TIM instrument will monitor the Sun during the daylight portion of each Glory orbit. Data acquired in 50-second intervals will track changes in the total solar energy, which will then be averaged to provide both 6-hourly and daily values. This virtual continual monitoring will help diagnose short-term solar mechanisms causing energy budget changes and will contribute to the vital long-term solar record. Aerosol Polarimetry SensorThe Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS) instrument is built by Raytheon Inc. in El Segundo, California. This instrument will measure the size, quantity, refractive index, and shape of aerosols. This is the first space-based instrument to be able to identify different aerosol types, which will help researchers distinguish the relative influence of natural and human-caused aerosols on our global climate. The aerosol characterization capabilities of APS, coupled with the cloud identification function performed by the two on-board Cloud Cameras will allow scientists to determine, with very high accuracy, the global distribution of aerosols and cloud properties. The Glory Cloud Cameras are built by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation (BATC) in Boulder, Colorado. Glory will complete a series of 233 orbits of the Earth along differing ground tracks to create a net of observations. This pattern is repeated every 16 days. Such complete coverage of the Earth will help scientists learn about aerosols and their impacts across the globe. Glory SpacecraftThe Glory Spacecraft is built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, in Dulles, Virginia. The spacecraft has two deployable solar array wings, is 3-axis stabilized, and has X-band/S-band RF communications capabilities. The structure is an octagonal aluminum space frame and there is a blowdown hydrazine propulsion module which contains enough fuel for much more than the 36 month baseline mission. The spacecraft bus provides payload power; command, telemetry, and science data interfaces, including onboard storage of data. The attitude control subsystem supports instrument pointing requirements in the 10's of arc-seconds. Launch and OrbitThe Glory satellite will launch on a Taurus XL launch vehicle from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, located on the central coast of California, and will orbit as part of the Afternoon Constellation, also known as the A-Train, which is a series of Earth-observing satellites flying in close formation. The A-Train orbits the Earth once every 100 minutes. Working Together to Make Glory WorkGetting Glory into space, and maintaining it once it is in orbit, will require the collaboration of numerous organizations across the United States. Orbital Sciences Corporation is responsible for operating the spacecraft from the Mission Operations Center in Dulles, Virginia. The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, Colorado will provide the capability to command the TIM instrument, monitor its performance, and generate science data products. The Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City will schedule APS instrument activities, monitor instrument (APS and Cloud Cameras) performance, and generate aerosol and cloud data products. The TIM, APS and Cloud Camera data products will be archived and distributed by the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. |
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Taurus XL Rocket Failure Results in Unsuccessful Launch of NASA Glory Satellite Mission
At a news conference following the unsuccessful attempt to place the Glory spacecraft in orbit, a team from NASA and Orbital Sciences Corporation, maker of the Taurus XL rocket, discussed the failure of the rocket's fairing to separate. The fairing, which covers and protects the spacecraft during launch and ascent, underwent a redesign of its separation system after a similar failure two years ago. The new system has been successfully used on another Orbital launch vehicle several times.
NASA Launch Director Omar Baez said the countdown and launch went smoothly until the point at which they should have received data indicating that the fairing had separated from the vehicle.
Once more data is analyzed, the teams hope to have a better understanding of what went wrong and where in the South Pacific the spacecraft may have landed.
The new Earth-observing satellite was intended to improve our understanding of how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate.
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 Corp. of Dulles, Va., is the launch service provider to Kennedy of the four-stage Taurus XL rocket and is also builder of the Glory satellite for Goddard.
RELEASE : 11-050
NASA's Glory Satellite Fails To Reach Orbit
WASHINGTON — NASA's Glory mission launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Friday at 5:09:45 a.m. EST failed to reach orbit.
Telemetry indicated the fairing, the protective shell atop the Taurus XL rocket, did not separate as expected about three minutes after launch.
A press briefing to discuss the Glory launch failure is planned at Vandenberg for approximately 8:00 a.m. EST. NASA Television will carry the press conference live at:
The new Earth-observing satellite was intended to improve our understanding of how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate.
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