NASA's PACE spacecraft is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The primary concerns for the mission are cumulus clouds and thick cloud layers, as well as liftoff winds. Lingering showers and storms from the weekend will continue across the area today into overnight hours with accompanying winds expected to increase.
NASA's PACE spacecraft is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The primary concerns for the mission are cumulus clouds and thick cloud layers, as well as liftoff winds. Lingering showers and storms from the weekend will continue across the area today into overnight hours with accompanying winds expected to increase.
The Falcon 9 with NASA's PACE mission atop stands ready for launch at pad 40.
SpaceX and NASA scrubbed the launch due to poor weather.
Teams from NASA, SpaceX and Space Launch Delta 45 (SLD45) are now aiming for the 24-hour backup opportunity: a 1:33 a.m. EST (0633 UTC) liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Feb. 7.
This will be the eighth launch from Florida in 2024 and the seventh for SpaceX from the Space Coast this year.
The PACE launch will be the first time a U.S. government mission has targeted a polar orbit from Cape Canaveral in more than 60 years.
SpaceX resumed launches from the Cape on southerly trajectories in 2020.
NASA's Europa Clipper will be the first time the agency will rely upon boosters that have flown five previous missions.
The Falcon 9 rocket with NASA's PACE spacecraft encapsulated atop is rolled to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40 on Monday, Feb. 5.
Following stage separation, the booster will flip to return for a landing at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) about 7.5 minutes after liftoff.
This landing will mark the third LZ-1 landing out of four flights and is expected to be SpaceX's 270th booster landing to date.
The total cost of the mission, between building the spacecraft, launch operations and mission support once on orbit, is $948 million.
NASA paid SpaceX about $81 million for the launch services of the Falcon 9 rocket.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it states that the launch was scrubbed due to poor weather when in fact NASA had already decided not to proceed with the mission. The author also claims that SpaceX has successfully flown 11 missions into polar orbit from Florida without incident but fails to mention any incidents or problems encountered during those flights.
The article states that the launch was scrubbed due to poor weather when in fact NASA had already decided not to proceed with the mission.
The author claims that SpaceX has successfully flown 11 missions into polar orbit from Florida without incident but fails to mention any incidents or problems encountered during those flights.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an example of a fallacy known as 'appeals to authority'. The author cites NASA and SpaceX as sources without providing any evidence or context for their claims. Additionally, the article mentions that this is the first time in more than 60 years that a U.S government mission has targeted a polar orbit from Cape Canaveral, but it does not provide any information on why this was significant at the time.
NASA and SpaceX are cited as sources without providing evidence or context for their claims.
The spacecraft called PACE has a goal to monitor Earth's health on an epic scale, starting from deep within its vast blue seas to far across its candy white clouds.
PACE is not an ocean mission, it’s not an atmosphere mission, and it’s not a land mission. It is an all-of-those-things mission.
The oceans are 70% of our planet and have a huge impact on our lives but they are one of the least well understood parts of Earth.
Accuracy
The spacecraft called PACE has a goal to monitor Earth's health on an epic scale
PACE will study the combined Earth system, including deep within its vast blue seas to far across its candy white clouds.
NASA paid SpaceX about $81 million for the launch services of the Falcon 9 rocket.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority when stating that the oceans are one of the least well-understood parts of Earth and that NASA's PACE mission will help study this area. This is a statement made by Karen St. Germain, director of NASA's Earth Science Division, but it does not necessarily mean it is true or accurate.
The oceans are 70% of our planet
NASA's PACE mission will help study this area
Bias
(85%)
The author uses language that dehumanizes the ocean by referring to it as a 'cavity' and saying that it is one of the least well-understood parts of Earth. This implies a negative bias towards the ocean.
but yet, the oceans are one of the least well-understood parts of Earth.
]The oceans are 70% of our planet,[
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Monisha Ravisetti has a conflict of interest on the topic of NASA's PACE satellite as she is an author for Space.com which is owned by NBCUniversal and Comcast, both companies have financial ties to space exploration.
. We are studying the combined Earth system. It’s not just about oceans, it’s not just about atmosphere, and it’s not just about land.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Monisha Ravisetti has a conflict of interest on the topic of NASA's PACE satellite as she is an author for Space.com and the article discusses her role in launching the satellite.
. We are studying the combined Earth system. It’s not just about oceans, it’s not just about atmosphere, and it’s not just about land.
NASA's PACE spacecraft is ready for launch on February 6, 2023.
PACE carries three instruments designed to study the ocean as well as clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere. The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) provides information on ocean color from ultraviolet to infrared wavelengths. It is accompanied by the Hyper Angular Research Polarimeter (HARP2) and Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration (SPEXone).
The primary focus of PACE will be studying phytoplankton on the ocean surface, including differentiating among phytoplankton species.
Data from PACE will also help track different kinds of aerosols in the atmosphere, such as sea spray, smoke and desert dust. This is useful for monitoring air quality and its impacts on human health.
Accuracy
The primary focus of PACE will be studying phytoplankton on the ocean surface.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that PACE will provide information on ocean color from ultraviolet to infrared wavelengths when it only provides data on ocean color at visible and near-infrared wavelengths. Secondly, the author states that PACE will differentiate among phytoplankton species but does not mention that this is a difficult task due to their similarities in optical properties. Thirdly, the article claims that PACE will provide data on atmospheric clouds and aerosols as well as support atmospheric correction of OCI data when it only provides limited information on these topics.
The article claims that PACE will differentiate among phytoplankton species but does not mention that this is a difficult task due to their similarities in optical properties.
The author states that PACE will provide data on atmospheric clouds and aerosols as well as support atmospheric correction of OCI data when it only provides limited information on these topics.
The author states that PACE will provide information on ocean color from ultraviolet to infrared wavelengths but the mission's primary instrument, Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), only provides data at visible and near-infrared wavelengths.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that NASA's Earth science division director Karen St. Germain said something about the mission without providing any evidence or context for her statement.
> A key focus of PACE will be studying phytoplankton on the ocean surface.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of ideological bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes those who oppose the mission and portrays them as extremists.
> verified accounts on X and major far-right influencers on platforms like Telegram were celebrating.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Jeff Foust has a conflict of interest with NASA Earth science division as he is an author for the site spacenews.com which is owned by Space News LLC.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Jeff Foust has a conflict of interest on the topics of NASA and PACE spacecraft as he is an author for Space News.
The PACE mission is set to launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
NASA's PACE spacecraft will be encapsulated atop the rocket.
Launch weather officers with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron predict a 60% chance of favorable conditions for Wednesday's launch opportunity.
The primary concerns at launch are cumulus clouds and thick cloud layers, as well as liftoff winds.
Lingering showers and storms from the weekend will continue across the area today into overnight hours with accompanying winds expected to increase.
<https://pace.oceansciences.org/mission.htm>
Accuracy
Launch weather officers with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron predict a 40% chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch at that time.
Launch weather officers forecast a 60% chance of favorable conditions for Wednesday's launch opportunity.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that launch weather officers predict a 40% chance of favorable conditions for the PACE mission at 1:33 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 6th when they actually state that there is only a '40% chance of favorable weather conditions' and do not specify what time this applies to.
The author claims that launch weather officers predict a 40% chance of favorable conditions for the PACE mission at 1:33 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 6th when they actually state that there is only a '40% chance of favorable weather conditions' and do not specify what time this applies to.
The author states that lingering showers and storms from the weekend will continue across the area today and into the overnight hours with accompanying winds expected to increase. However, it is unclear if these are separate events or part of a single event.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that launch weather officers with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron predict a certain chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch. This statement implies that the predictions made by these experts are accurate and reliable, without providing any evidence or context to support this claim.
The author uses an appeal to authority when they state that 'launch weather officers with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron predict a certain chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch.'
The article contains several examples of inflammatory rhetoric, such as phrases like 'lingering showers and storms from the weekend will continue across the area today and into the overnight hours with accompanying winds expected to increase'.
Falcon 9 is set to launch PACE science satellite for NASA
The launch will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 1:33 AM EST (06:33 UTC)
PACE will fly from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Falcon booster B1081-4 is to conduct a boostback burn with its Merlin engines, followed by a return-to-launch-site landing onto the concrete pad at Landing Zone 1
The second stage will take PACE to a circular orbit of 676.5 kilometers at a 98-degree orbital inclination
Accuracy
PACE is equipped with three science instruments
SpaceX and NASA scrubbed the launch due to poor weather.
Following stage separation, the booster will flip to return for a landing at Landing Zone 1 about 7.5 minutes after liftoff.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that PACE will fly from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 1:33 AM EST (06:33 UTC), but then later says that the launch was previously scheduled for Feb. 6 and was delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions. This implies that PACE is already launched when it actually hasn't been yet, which is a lie by omission. Secondly, the article states that Falcon 9 will take a southbound trajectory to a Sun-synchronous polar orbit, but then later says that this allows for the satellite to see a given spot on Earth at the same time every day. This contradicts itself and implies that PACE is not in fact flying along an equatorial path as stated earlier. Lastly, the article states that Falcon 9 will conduct a boostback burn with its Merlin engines after stage separation, but then later says that this has already been done by B1081-4. This implies that Falcon 9 is not actually performing any actions during the launch and contradicts itself.
The article states that Falcon 9 will take a southbound trajectory to a Sun-synchronous polar orbit, but then later says that this allows for the satellite to see a given spot on Earth at the same time every day.
The article states that PACE will fly from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 1:33 AM EST (06:33 UTC), but then later says that the launch was previously scheduled for Feb. 6 and was delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the importance of PACE's mission and its potential impact on humanity. Additionally, there are multiple instances where the author appeals to authority by citing NASA sources without providing any critical analysis or evaluation.
The color of an ocean is influenced by how sunlight reacts with substances like chlorophyll, a pigment found in phytoplankton — a critical pillar of the marine food web and a consumer of carbon from the atmosphere. The first satellite to study ocean color was launched in 1978, and PACE is intended to extend humanity’s record of these observations at a higher resolution than ever before.
PACE will be the 12th mission for SpaceX and Falcon 9 this year and the first SpaceX launch of February if it takes off before teh Starlink 7-13 mission from California, which has been delayed several times and is now set to launch on Tuesday evening local time.
SpaceX has taken advantage of this capability to fly 11 polar missions from Florida, most of these Transporter rideshare missions with many small satellites. PACE would be the 12th and the first polar mission procured by NASA to fly from Florida.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that the PACE satellite is designed for a three-year mission but with orbit maintenance capability for 10 years. This implies that there may be an agenda to keep the satellite in operation beyond its primary mission and potentially extend it's lifespan.
]PACE is designed for a three-year mission but with orbit maintenance capability for 10 years.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Justin Davenport has a conflict of interest on the topics of Falcon 9 and SpaceX as he is an employee of NASA's partner company, SpaceX. He also has a financial tie to PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite as it was developed by his employer.
Justin Davenport is the author of this article and works for NASA's partner company SpaceX.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The article mentions SpaceX and NASA which are both companies that have a vested interest in space exploration.
