Everyone’s had a bad day at the office, but this person’s was definitely up there as one of the worst.
Once upon a time, NASA and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hired Lockheed Martin to construct the NOAA N-Prime weather satellite – but things ended in disaster in 2003.
While the satellite, which was said to be valued at an eye-watering $233 million, was being constructed at Lockheed Martin’s California-based manufacturing facility, the ginormous piece of tech toppled off a cart while being moved.
The satellite was being moved from a vertical to horizontal position when it fell a meter onto a concrete surface and, while no injuries were sustained during the fall, the same couldn’t be said for the satellite itself.
It went on to be revealed that NOAA N-Prime (which was later known as NOAA-19) had suffered heavy damage as a result of the ordeal, and it cost a hell of a lot to fix.
The faux pas meant Lockheed Martin had to forfeit any profits it had already earned or was going to earn from the satellite to foot the repair bill, while the US Government had to pay the rest.
And I hope George W. Bush was sitting down when he received the news as they had to pay a staggering $135 million, NASA spokesman Dave Steitz said at the time – as per Space.com.
