This time, 'Glory' is fleeting

The Los Angeles Times reported: "A nine-story rocket carrying an Earth-observation satellite dubbed Glory failed to reach orbit and likely fell into the South Pacific Ocean following its launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, north of Santa Barbara. In a statement, NASA said that the protective shell perched atop the rocket did not separate and the satellite did not enter orbit, which should have occurred about three minutes after the launch." Translation: NASA just flushed $424 million down the crapper. It happens. Hurtling obits into near-Earth orbit has become routine these days. But this mishap reminds us that our space pioneering is still rocket science.