page 22 of 100 in addition to worldview-3 , some of the segment 2019s other high-profile contracts include : the james webb space telescope , a successor to the hubble space telescope ; the joint polar satellite system , the next-generation satellite weather monitoring system ; the global precipitation measurement-microwave imager , which will play an essential role in the earth 2019s weather and environmental forecasting ; and a number of antennas and sensors for the joint strike fighter .segment earnings in 2010 as compared to 2009 increased by $ 8.4 million due to favorable fixed-price program performance and higher sales , partially offset by the program reductions described above .segment earnings in 2009 were down $ 14.8 million compared to 2008 , primarily attributable to the winding down of several large programs and overall reduced program activity .on february 15 , 2008 , ball completed the sale of its shares in bsg to qinetiq pty ltd for approximately $ 10.5 million , including cash sold of $ 1.8 million .the subsidiary provided services to the australian department of defense and related government agencies .after an adjustment for working capital items , the sale resulted in a pretax gain of $ 7.1 million .sales to the u.s .government , either directly as a prime contractor or indirectly as a subcontractor , represented 96 percent of segment sales in 2010 , 94 percent in 2009 and 91 percent in 2008 .contracted backlog for the aerospace and technologies segment at december 31 , 2010 and 2009 , was $ 989 million and $ 518 million , respectively .the increase in backlog is primarily due to the awards of the worldview-3 and joint polar satellite system ( jpss ) contracts .comparisons of backlog are not necessarily indicative of the trend of future operations .discontinued operations 2013 plastic packaging , americas in august 2010 , we completed the sale of our plastics packaging business and received gross proceeds of $ 280 million .this amount included $ 15 million of contingent consideration recognized at closing but did not include preliminary closing adjustments totaling $ 18.5 million paid in the fourth quarter .the sale of our plastics packaging business included five u.s .plants that manufactured polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ) bottles and preforms and polypropylene bottles , as well as associated customer contracts and other related assets .our plastics business employed approximately 1000 people and had sales of $ 635 million in 2009 .the manufacturing plants were located in ames , iowa ; batavia , illinois ; bellevue , ohio ; chino , california ; and delran , new jersey .the research and development operations were based in broomfield and westminster , colorado .the following table summarizes the operating results for the discontinued operations for the years ended december 31: .
[['( $ in millions )', '2010', '2009', '2008'], ['net sales', '$ 318.5', '$ 634.9', '$ 735.4'], ['earnings from operations', '$ 3.5', '$ 19.6', '$ 18.2'], ['gain on sale of business', '8.6', '2212', '2212'], ['loss on asset impairment', '-107.1 ( 107.1 )', '2212', '2212'], ['loss on business consolidation activities ( a )', '-10.4 ( 10.4 )', '-23.1 ( 23.1 )', '-8.3 ( 8.3 )'], ['gain on disposition', '2212', '4.3', '2212'], ['tax benefit ( provision )', '30.5', '-3.0 ( 3.0 )', '-5.3 ( 5.3 )'], ['discontinued operations net of tax', '$ -74.9 ( 74.9 )', '$ -2.2 ( 2.2 )', '$ 4.6']]
( a ) includes net charges recorded to reflect costs associated with the closure of plastics packaging manufacturing plants .additional segment information for additional information regarding our segments , see the business segment information in note 2 accompanying the consolidated financial statements within item 8 of this report .the charges recorded for business consolidation activities were based on estimates by ball management and were developed from information available at the time .if actual outcomes vary from the estimates , the differences will be reflected in current period earnings in the consolidated statement of earnings and identified as business consolidation gains and losses .additional details about our business consolidation activities and associated costs are provided in note 5 accompanying the consolidated financial statements within item 8 of this report. .

Question: what was the percentage change in net sales for the discontinued operations between 2009 and 2010?
Answer: -50%