Oregon-based metals manufacturer Sapa Profiles Inc. recently agreed to pay out a $46 million settlement to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after it was determined that the company had, for nearly two decades, been deceptively and knowingly selling faulty materials to America's space program.
Not only was Sapa supplying NASA with subpar aluminum and other metals, costing the agency more than $700 million in losses, reports indicate, but the company was also faking test results to go along with them – essentially lying to the United States government.
The faulty parts that Sapa sold to NASA were reportedly used in the production of the Taurus XL rocket, which was supposed to deliver satellites into space for the purpose of studying Earth's climate. But when the rocket was first launched, its fairing, a clamshell structure designed to encase the satellite as it traveled through space, didn't fully open as intended.
As a result, the rocket, the launch of which was attempted in 2009 at Vandenberg Air Force Base north of Los Angeles, was a failure. And NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory, or OCO, consequently never reached orbit.
The Taurus XL rocket had to eventually be rebuilt, and was renamed Minotaur-C – a lengthy process that ultimately cost taxpayers tens of millions of wasted dollars.
"When testing results are altered and certifications are provided falsely, missions fail,' Jim Norman, the director for launch services at a NASA event in Washington, stated about the launch failure.
A second NASA climate spacecraft failed to launch because of Sapa fraud
In 2011, a similar situation occurred with NASA's Glory satellite, which was supposed to analyze the effects of aerosols and the sun's radiant energy on Earth's climate. Made from the same faulty Sapa materials, Glory never reached orbit, costing NASA even more money, not to mention many years' worth of scientific work.
The measurement sensor equipment with which Glory was equipped had reportedly been built by Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems in El Segundo, California.
Why is Norsk Hydro still in business?
News of these two satellite failures hit the presses during the same week that Norsk Hydro ASA, the current parent company of Sapa, settled a lawsuit with NASA, the Department of Defense (DOD), and various other plaintiffs, all of which were ripped off by Sapa's fraudulent business practices – which is something of an irony, considering the climate "science" that NASA has been trying to conduct is based on the fraudulent conspiracy theory of "global warming" and "climate change."
According to the Los Angeles Times, Norsk Hydro admitted that company employees at Sapa had faked test results related to the strength of their employers' metals, as well as the reliability of these metals under intense pressure.
Sapa, which has since changed its name to Hydro Extrusion Portland Inc., also plead guilty to one count of mail fraud, and is now forever barred from ever again contracting with the federal government.
"Corporate and personal greed perpetuated this fraud against the government and other private customers, and this resolution holds these companies accountable for the harm caused by their scheme," stated Brian Benczkowski, the assistant attorney general of the criminal division at the Department of Justice (DOJ), in an April 23 statement.
Responding to the case after it was settled, a Norsk Hydro spokesman told the media that the company has invested, "significant time and resources to completely overhaul [its] quality and compliance organizations."
"They should have been held liable for the entire $700 million," wrote one LA Times commenter.
"They should also have listed the names of those in this criminal enterprise," responded another.
For related news about how the government is spending tens of millions of dollars to study "climate change," be sure to check out ClimateScienceNews.com.
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