Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)Taurus Launch 02/24/2009

Spacecraft: Orbiting Carbon Observatory
Launch Vehicle: Orbital Sciences Taurus Rocket
Launch Location: Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Launch Pad: Space Launch Complex 576-E
Launch Date: Feb. 24, 2009
Launch Time: 1:55:30 a.m. PST (4:55:30 a.m. EST)
Cost : $ 400 million

Ignition and liftoff of the Taurus XL rocket carrying NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), beginning a two-year mission to study what no spacecraft ever has: the sources and hiding places of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The rocket's Stage 0 is burning as it propels the vehicle away from Vandenberg Air Force Base and toward a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit where it will orbit Earth once every 99 minutes.

A Taurus XL rocket is speeding roughly southward near the California coast to begin the Orbiting Carbon Observatorys

mission. The solid-fueled rocket is leaving a brilliant trail of flames and smoke on its way into the sky. It will take 13 minutes for the four-stage booster to settle the satellite into its precise orbit. Then the OCO spacecraft will unfurl its twin solar arrays to begin powering its onboard systems.

Several minutes into the flight of the Taurus rocket carrying NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory spacecraft, launch managers declared a contingency after the payload fairing failed to separate.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Orbiting
• Carbon
• Observatory
• Taurus
• Launch
• Feb
• 24/2009
• NASA
• Space
• rocket
• spacecraft
• liftoff
• CA
• Force
• Base
• booster
• Vandenberg
• satellite
• orbit
• OCO
• Contingency
• Declared

[shephenkel]

where's the video with the "aw sh!t" moment?

[AlienXCherie]

that thing woke me up blasting off last night. the launch base is only 2 miles away from the base housing...hahaha. I'm sad it didn't gett to orbit... but it did set off all the car alarms in the neiborhood

[bensonGdog]

you dont think the thrust from the rocket isnt the cause of global worming? like we havnt only done one. lol

[vicroc4]

Man, my father worked on this satellite. I remember watching the launch at Orbital at something like 4 in the morning. We all just went, "Okay, WTF just happened?"

[MemberMan080]

0:28 sounded like he said T-1second

[than217]

"Now we may never know if ants can be trained to sort tiny screws in space."

-Buzz Aldrin

[kornbeeff]

This IS the failure footage. You hear the faring separation call at 3:58... but it didn't.

[sirnicholson]

how bout we start with you assfuck.

[0nanimus]

No failure footage?! Heard some very plausible explanations from NASA types, news, gov and the like. I guess, once again, we'll all have to take them at their word.

[taofledermaus]

Environmenalists probably sabotaged it. OCO would have disproved all their propaganda and agenda to tax us all more just for breathing.  : p

[cochiiise]

this is part of the "Economic Stimulus Plan" fella's :-) waaaaaahoooooooo!