New Scientist: NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory crashed into the Pacific just off the coast of Antarctica shortly after it lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on Tuesday. Just minutes after the OCO launched at 0155 PST (0955 GMT) on a Taurus XL rocket, its protective fairing, which shields the spacecraft during launch and atmospheric ascent, failed to separate and fall away as planned. As a result of its added weight, the instrument did not reach its orbit and crashed into the …