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| Failure hits Nasa's 'CO2 hunter' | Failure hits Nasa's 'CO2 hunter' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Nasa's first mission to measure carbon dioxide (CO2) from space appears to have failed after a rocket malfunction. | Nasa's first mission to measure carbon dioxide (CO2) from space appears to have failed after a rocket malfunction. |
| Officials said the fairing - the part of the rocket which covers the satellite on top of the launcher - had failed to separate properly. | Officials said the fairing - the part of the rocket which covers the satellite on top of the launcher - had failed to separate properly. |
| If the finding is confirmed, the mission will be lost. | If the finding is confirmed, the mission will be lost. |
| The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) was intended to help pinpoint the key locations on our planet's surface where the gas is being emitted and absorbed. | The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) was intended to help pinpoint the key locations on our planet's surface where the gas is being emitted and absorbed. |
| The $270m mission was launched on a Taurus XL - the smallest ground-launched rocket currently in use by the US space agency. I am bitterly disappointed about the loss of OCO Dr Paul Palmer, University of Edinburgh | |
| This type of rocket has flown eight times, with two failures including this launch. But this is the first time Nasa has used the Taurus XL. | This type of rocket has flown eight times, with two failures including this launch. But this is the first time Nasa has used the Taurus XL. |
| Onlookers watched the launcher soar into the sky from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 0951 GMT on Tuesday. | Onlookers watched the launcher soar into the sky from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 0951 GMT on Tuesday. |
| The first indication of a problem came in an announcement made by the Nasa launch commentator, George Diller. | The first indication of a problem came in an announcement made by the Nasa launch commentator, George Diller. |
| "This is Taurus launch control. We have declared a launch contingency, meaning that we did not have a successful launch tonight," he said. | "This is Taurus launch control. We have declared a launch contingency, meaning that we did not have a successful launch tonight," he said. |
| "The OCO spacecraft did not achieve orbit successfully in a way that we could have a mission. They're still looking at the telemetry data here very carefully. It appears that we were getting indications that the fairing was having problems separating. | "The OCO spacecraft did not achieve orbit successfully in a way that we could have a mission. They're still looking at the telemetry data here very carefully. It appears that we were getting indications that the fairing was having problems separating. |
| "It either did not separate or did not separate in the way that it should, but at any rate we're still trying to evaluate exactly what the status of the spacecraft is at this point." OCO was to have measured carbon dioxide on the day-side of Earth | "It either did not separate or did not separate in the way that it should, but at any rate we're still trying to evaluate exactly what the status of the spacecraft is at this point." OCO was to have measured carbon dioxide on the day-side of Earth |
| Separation of the fairing was one of the last technical hurdles faced by the satellite as it flew into orbit. | Separation of the fairing was one of the last technical hurdles faced by the satellite as it flew into orbit. |
| Dr Paul Palmer, a scientist from the University of Edinburgh, who was collaborating on the mission, told BBC News: "I am bitterly disappointed about the loss of OCO. My thoughts go out to the science team that have dedicated the past seven years to building and testing the instrument." | |
| Scientists had hoped the OCO mission would improve models of the Earth's climate and help researchers determine where the greenhouse gas is coming from and how much is being absorbed by forests and oceans. | Scientists had hoped the OCO mission would improve models of the Earth's climate and help researchers determine where the greenhouse gas is coming from and how much is being absorbed by forests and oceans. |
| Only about 50% of carbon emitted into the atmosphere, for example from fossil fuel combustion and land use, stays there. Most of the remainder is mopped up by the forests and oceans, which act as "sinks". | Only about 50% of carbon emitted into the atmosphere, for example from fossil fuel combustion and land use, stays there. Most of the remainder is mopped up by the forests and oceans, which act as "sinks". |
| Hopes on Japan | |
| However, there appears to be a large carbon sink missing. | However, there appears to be a large carbon sink missing. |
| "All eyes are now on the Japanese Gosat instrument to search for the missing carbon sink," said Dr Palmer. | "All eyes are now on the Japanese Gosat instrument to search for the missing carbon sink," said Dr Palmer. |
| Gosat was launched in January from Tanegashima in Japan. It is also designed to monitor atmospheric greenhouse gases. | Gosat was launched in January from Tanegashima in Japan. It is also designed to monitor atmospheric greenhouse gases. |
| Nasa announced that a press briefing to discuss the failure will take place no earlier than 1300 GMT (0800 EST). | Nasa announced that a press briefing to discuss the failure will take place no earlier than 1300 GMT (0800 EST). |
| When the European Space Agency's Cryosat spacecraft was destroyed on launch in 2006, officials decided to re-build it; the launch is scheduled for later in the year. However, the future of the OCO mission remains unclear at this stage. | |
| Nasa's Glory satellite, which is designed to measure carbon soot and other aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere, is due to launch on a Taurus XL from California in June. | Nasa's Glory satellite, which is designed to measure carbon soot and other aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere, is due to launch on a Taurus XL from California in June. |
| The four-stage Taurus XL rocket is manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation, based in Virginia, US. | The four-stage Taurus XL rocket is manufactured by Orbital Sciences Corporation, based in Virginia, US. |