Earlier this year, a 2-tonne, US$2 million dollar gamma-ray telescope had a little run-in with a parked car. Let me refresh your memory:

On Friday, NASA published their investigation into the cause of what they describe as a “High Visibility Type B Mishap” (translation: somebody filmed us hitting a car with a telescope, nobody died). According to the two-volume finding, the telescope inadvertently separated from the crane that was hoisting it and scraped along for over 150 yards. The report also found a lack of adequate safety procedures at the launch site.

An appendix lists the cost of the accident:

Mission Expendables (Balloon, Helium, Batteries): $ 336,978

Pro-Rata Campaign Cost: $ 659,321

Damage to NCT payload: $500,000 – $2,000,000

Damage to CSBF hardware: $ 20,000

Marching army cost for HERO team: $ 385,000

Privately Owned Vehicle Damage: $13,500

Airport Property Damage: $10,000

Based on that table it seems clear that the telescope was the biggest loser.

I’m adding my own recommendation to the 44 in the report: When attending a NASA launch, always park upwind.