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: .
what was the percentage change in net sales for the discontinued operations between 2008 and 2009?
( 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. .