Glory Science Satellite

News Article:

GREENBELT, Md., March 1 (UPI) -- NASA says technical glitches that scrubbed the launch of its Glory science satellite have been resolved and the carrier rocket is ready to be fired Friday.

Originally meant to blast off last Wednesday, problems with ground support equipment for the Taurus XL rocket led to the launch being canceled.

The problems have been resolved and Glory will lift off Friday at 5:09 EST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a NASA release said Tuesday.

Data gathered by the Glory mission will provide scientists with a chance to better understand how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate as they impact the amount of energy entering and leaving Earth's atmosphere.

The Taurus XL also carries the first of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite missions, an auxiliary payload containing three small satellites called CubeSats, designed and created by university and college students.

The Glory project is being managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

My reflections...

I feel that it is very fortunate that they discovered this technical glitch before it actually took off. Imagine what would have happened if they hadn't realized this glitch and the satellite had broken down. All the money spent on the project would have been wasted, and everyone's hard work would have come down to nothing. It would become just another of the billion debris floating around in space uselessly. But things could have been worse. If it was a spaceship and there were people on it, disaster would have happened. During their journey, the spaceship would have failed them and broken down. They would be stuck for eternity, floating around in space until their dying day, or when their food and oxygen run out. Even worse, if it breaks down during take-off or re-entry, the astronauts could meet a horrible end to their lives. They would have come crashing down to earth along with their spaceship, and if they survive the fall they certainly won't survive the fiery inferno upon crashing. I read this story when a piece of foam struck a spaceship's wing, ripping a hole and producing a huge crash. It took weeks for them to find all the astronaut's remains. Thus, I applaud NASA for carrying out such thorough safety checks before take-off. Their vigilance may seem a waste of time and cutting corners may seem easier but in truth, it definitely saves lives and money.