Two satellites named after Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the
19th-century explorers who opened up the American West, have followed their
namesakes into the history books. NASA has cancelled the Clark Earth Science
Mission, writing off a $55-million investment. The Lewis satellite
spiralled out of control after its launch
(This Week, 6 September 1997, p 7)
The Clark satellite would have studied pollution and urbanisation. NASA
officials say that launch delays and escalating costs forced the cancellation.
鈥淣ASA was well within its rights to terminate,鈥� concedes Barron Beneski, a
spokesman for Orbital Sciences, the Virginia-based firm that was the mission鈥檚
prime contractor.
