Jun 23 1998
From The Space Library
The Lewis Spacecraft Mission Failure Investigation Board, convened by NASA, released its report explaining the reason for the spacecraft's failure, which had cost NASA more than US$70 million. NASA had developed the Earth-orbiting spacecraft to test advanced scientific equipment and technology for measuring land surface changes. The spacecraft, launched on 23 August 1997, had failed to achieve stable orbit. According to the board's findings, faulty attitude-control equipment, together with inadequate monitoring, had caused the craft's destruction upon reentry on 28 September. The investigation board reported that the attitude-control system had not been tested or developed sufficiently. NASA had adapted the system from an earlier design, which had not taken into account the Lewis spacecraft's spin axis. The small project crew had been unable to monitor and control the craft adequately during the crucial early flight stage. According to the investigation board's report, this was the primary cause of the mission's failure.
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