Nasa Glory mission ends in failure
 

The US space agency's (Nasa) attempt to launch its latest Earth observation mission has ended in failure.

The Glory satellite lifted off from California on a quest to gather new data on factors that influence the climate.

But about six minutes into the flight, officials became aware of a problem.

It appears the fairing - the part of the rocket which covers the satellite on top of the launcher - did not separate properly.This would have made the rocket too heavy and therefore too slow to achieve its intended 700km orbit. It would probably have fallen into the ocean near the Antarctic, but this still has to be confirmed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12551861

Note: 4 March 2011 Last updated at 10:40 GMT