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SCIENCEFriday 18 September 2015
Report: Orbital faces risks in resuming space station runs
MARCIA DUNN In this Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014 file photo, an unmanned Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Antares rocket room on the Cygnus and
AP Aerospace Writer headed for the International Space Station lifts off from the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Is- the heavier lift capabilities
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) land, Va. shortly before exploding. of the Atlas and upgraded
— One of NASA’s two com- Antares rockets.
mercial suppliers, Virginia- Associated Press Inspector General Paul
based Orbital, faces an up- Martin said in the 46-page
hill struggle in resuming de- with ATK earlier this year — never flown before on Unit- Beneski pointed out that report that NASA did not
liveries to the International hopes to resume Antares ed Launch Alliance’s Atlas Orbital has deep experi- take advantage of con-
Space Station, according flights from Virginia next V rocket, the kind that will ence in putting its satel- tract provisions to reduce
to a government report is- year with new engines. be used in December and lites on a variety of rockets. its costs of up to $84 million.
sued Thursday. According to the report, again in March to launch “Not like we haven’t done Also, NASA had to pay $5
The space agency’s in- it may be difficult to meet space station supplies. In it before. We have,” he told million to help fund repairs
spector general office said those goals. But Orbital addition, the report noted The Associated Press. of damaged property at
the company’s upcoming spokesman Barron Beneski the tight schedule for out- NASA’s original $1.9 bil- the Wallops Island launch
flight plan contains signifi- said the company is right fitting the Antares with new lion contract with what site, according to the re-
cant risks, as its attempts to on schedule for the launch- engines; the company was then Orbital Scienc- port.
recover from last October’s es. The company is con- hopes to resume Antares es Corp. called for eight “NASA missed opportunities
launch explosion. Orbital’s fident of its path forward, launches in mid-2016. supply runs. Because of to seek lower prices from
Antares rocket failed sec- he said, and working with Both the old engines — be- the accident, only seven Orbital ... and we ques-
onds after liftoff from Vir- NASA to fulfill its contract. lieved to be the source of will be carried out. But the tion the value” of NASA’s
ginia, destroying the space The report voiced concern the accident — and new same amount of cargo will agreement to accept one
station goods and damag- about the fact that Or- engines for the Antares are be delivered, Beneski said, less resupply mission under
ing the launch complex. It bital’s Cygnus capsule has Russian made. because of the expanded the contract, the report
was Orbital’s fourth supply stated.
mission, including a 2013 The report also criticized
test flight. Orbital’s investigation into
Orbital remains grounded, the October accident, say-
as does SpaceX, NASA’s ing it lacked the indepen-
other commercial shipper, dence typically required of
following a failed launch NASA mishap boards. The
from Cape Canaveral in investigation report has not
June. It was the California- yet been released.
based SpaceX’s eighth NASA’s associate adminis-
shipment for NASA. Russia trator for human explora-
and Japan also send up tion and operations, William
supplies. Gerstenmaier, concurred
Orbital is working to get with six of the inspector
cargo to the space station general’s seven findings.
as early as December by The lone standout was one
putting it on another com- involving insurance at Wal-
pany’s rocket in Cape Ca- lops; Gerstenmaier said the
naveral. At the same time, correct procedures were
Orbital — which merged followed.q
Earth’s record streak of record
heat keeps on sizzling
SETH BORENSTEIN months of 2015 all smashed 30 times and seasonal heat In this Aug. 17, 2015 file photo, a child plays in the sprinklers
AP Science Writer global records for heat. records 11 times. Scientists of Seward park in New York as temperatures are expected to
WASHINGTON (AP) — That’s the fifth straight re- blame a combination of reach into the 90s in the New York metro area.
Earth’s record-breaking cord hot season in a row human-caused climate
heat is sounding an awful and the fourth consecutive change and natural El Associated Press
lot like a broken record. record hot month. Meteo- Nino.
The National Oceanic and rologists say 2015 is a near Earth broke the August re-
Atmospheric Administra- certainty to eclipse 2014 as cord by a sixth of a degree
tion announced Thursday the hottest year on record. and the summer record by
that August, this past sum- Since 2000, Earth has bro- a fifth of a degree. Records
mer and the first eight ken monthly heat records go back to 1880.q
