$270 million NASA satellite crashes

A NASA satellite crashes back to earth on the morning of Feb 24. This make February 2009 as the world record for the highest space accidents in a month.

About two weeks ago, two satellites collided in mid-space.

The rocket carrying NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) suffered a technical glitch early this morning that caused the satellite to crash into the ocean near Antarctica.

The Taurus XL rocket carrying the OCO successfully launched at 4:55 a.m. ET from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Countdown had proceeded normally except for one non-threatening and unrelated glitch.

Three minutes after liftoff, NASA officials began to get hints that something was wrong.

Computers on Earth sent the proper signals for the rocket to shed the clamshell structure housing the satellite, but the device failed to separate. As a direct result of carrying that extra weight, the satellite could not make orbit.

More news at National Geographic News - NASA Satellite Crashes Back to Earth

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