Feb 20, 2013

Joshua Buck Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100 jbuck@nasa gov

RELEASE: 13-050

NASA RELEASES GLORY TAURUS XL LAUNCH FAILURE REPORT SUMMARY

WASHINGTON -- NASA has released a summary report on findings from a panel that investigated the unsuccessful 2011 launch of the agency's Glory spacecraft

The satellite, designed to improve our understanding of Earth's climate, was lost March 4, 2011, when it failed to reach orbit after launch aboard an Orbital Sciences Corp Taurus XL rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California

A mishap investigation board led by Bradley C Flick, director of the Research and Engineering Directorate at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif , determined the Taurus launch vehicle's fairing system failed to open fully and caused the mishap The fairing is a clamshell nosecone that encapsulates the satellite as it travels through the atmosphere

The mishap investigation board was not able to identify the definitive cause for the fairing system failure, but it did recommend ways to prevent future problems associated with the joint system that makes up the fairing NASA and Orbital are continuing to investigate the fairing system

The summary report provides an overview of the mishap investigation board's findings The board's complete report is not available for public release because it contains information restricted by U S International Traffic in Arms Regulations and information proprietary to the companies involved The summary is available at:

http://www nasa gov/pdf/728836main_T9_MIB_Public_Release_Summary pdf

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: hqnews-subscribe@mediaservices nasa gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: hqnews-unsubscribe@mediaservices nasa gov

The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:

You are subscribed to the following list: [list_name]

using the following email: example@example.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

https://aus-city com/cgi-bin/dada/mail cgi/u/NASA_REPORTS/example/example com/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:

<[program_url]/list/[list]>

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:

<mailto:[list_owner_email]>

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:

[physical_address]