Subdeacon Joe Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 http://abc13.com/technology/commercial-supply-rocket-explodes-at-liftoff/370214/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh5oYmTURhc www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh5oYmTURhc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Somewhat ironic......just watched the ISS go across the sky here in Florida. Nice bright light, hauling butt across the just dark sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Scatterbrain Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 How long we been building rockets and missiles now? And that is one tall-ass water tower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Wonder if they will blame these guys. http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/orbital-sciences-corp/wayward-sailboat-scrubs-multi-million-antares-launch-iss/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Scatterbrain Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Wonder if they will blame these guys. http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/orbital-sciences-corp/wayward-sailboat-scrubs-multi-million-antares-launch-iss/ Uh, if a sailboat is in the flight path of your space rocket, maybe you're doing something wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 It will be interesting to find out the cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Scatterbrain Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 It will be interesting to find out the cause. Defective airbag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Space flight contains a particle of risk. Problem is Americans have gotten so used to everything going smoothly they forget that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 How long we been building rockets and missiles now? And that is one tall-ass water tower. Yes it is. The tower supplies cooling water to the launch base when the rocket motors ignite. You can see the feed pipe running from the tower to the launch pad starting at the 0:30 point of the video. As soon as the main engines ignite the water valve is opened and a series of jets spray water into the base of the tower. The exceptional height is needed to provide the required pressure. The 4 slender towers around the base that are taller than the rocket are actually lightning rods that are doing double duty by supporting the flood lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubborn Dutchman, SASS # 61363 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Also the Antaries rocket uses Russian engines. So it's not entirely American made. I'm not saying the fault is was in the engines, just that it's not an entirely US made system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Also the Antaries rocket uses Russian engines. So it's not entirely American made. I'm not saying the fault is was in the engines, just that it's not an entirely US made system. Should have been Rolls Royce engines. (it's a joke.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_slinger Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 It will be interesting to find out the cause. Bush's fault Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 If I would venture a purely non-scientific guess, it looks like something went awry with the main thrusters. The bright exhaust flame prior to the explosion looks like a bunch of fuel was suddenly dumped into the engines and ignited. Maybe a leak or rupture in the system.................. You can see a flame down the side of the main tank at the 3:33 mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 29, 2014 Author Share Posted October 29, 2014 The Soviet designed engines that were used had a dismal record in the Soviet/Russian space program. Like 4 out of 4 launches using them failed. Orbital sciences had THREE failures in testing that engine. What the heck were they thinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Maybe they put too much powder in the case? Gotta admire the coolness of the controller. Didn't sound a bit rattled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 The Soviet designed engines that were used had a dismal record in the Soviet/Russian space program. Like 4 out of 4 launches using them failed. Orbital sciences had THREE failures in testing that engine. What the heck were they thinking? Lowest cost provider...................... I needn't say any more........................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 If I would venture a purely non-scientific guess, it looks like something went awry with the main thrusters. The bright exhaust flame prior to the explosion looks like a bunch of fuel was suddenly dumped into the engines and ignited. Maybe a leak or rupture in the system.................. You can see a flame down the side of the main tank at the 3:33 mark. Good observation! I didn't get a time hack, but it appeared there was a flame to the right side of the 1st stage prior to 3:33, in the vicinity of the 1st stage engines. What you saw down the side of the stage was probably when Range Safety blew the tanks on the 1st stage. I would guess (based on about 30 years in the A&D industry and military) that the first thing they will look at will be telemetry from thrust chamber (rocket engine) pressures, turbopump pressures and rotational speeds, as well as temperatures in the vicinity of the feed lines, etc. They will, of course, try to find as many fragments and other debris as possible. In spite of the heat generated by the explosion, the materials are pretty heat-resistant. Should help tell them something. The one thing I was a bit curious about, was the Launch Director's statement to try to find a piece of "classified" hardware out there. Now before people wonder what sort of "top secret spy stuff" is being clandestinly lifted to the Space Station, what I STRONGLY SUSPECT is they were talking about a Command Signals Decoder, which is used by Range Safety to send the destruct signal to the launch vehicle. What you DON'T WANT is for someone, either as a "joke" or with malice to blow up a perfectly good launch vehicle. So the signal is encoded to prevent such a possibility. Obviously, you don't want some unauthorized person to get ahold of the decoder, and figure out how to hack the system. Hence the need to locate and secure the "box". BTW, this afternoon, United Launch Alliance successfuly (so far as I know at this point in time) launched an Atlas V with an advanced GPS satellite. That's the 50th successful launch of a Atlas V. In addition, SpaceX recovered the Dragon spacecraft that splashed down in the Pacific after leaving the Space Station with about a ton of experiments to be evaluated on the ground after work on the station. Dragon is the ONLY spacecraft capable of returning large amounts of payload to Earth. Only the Russian Soyuz can return payloads, and those are just about exclusively astronauts and cosmonauts, rather than equipment. If all goes well, Dragon v.2 will be human-rated after an unmanned launchpad abort test late this year, and a max-Q abort test next year. Then, maybe we can quit paying the Russians $72+M for each astronaut we send up! Ad LEO! Ad Luna! Ad Ares! Ad Astra! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Brasse, SASS #3562 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Flight insurance ? Delivery guarantee ? C. O. D. ? Lots of money up in smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Lots of money up in smoke. Hundred mill here, hundred mill there, pretty soon you're talking real money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calamity Kris Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Good observation!.................................................................................... Thank you. I've spent a few years in the space biz meownself........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boon Doggle Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Pssst Komrade, you want a good deal on a couple of rocket engines? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I read that the Russian engines used were 60's technology! http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20141029/cause-sought-for-space-supply-rocket-explosion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I read that the Russian engines used were 60's technology! Sixties technology isn't all bad. The Russian-built RD-180's used successfully on the Atlas V (#100 launched successfully yesterday), are based on '60's technology. But the AJ-26's (nee NK-33) used on the Antares were manufactured in the '60's, and refurbished by AerojetRocketdyne. That may or may NOT have anything to do with the flight failure suffered by the Antares launch vehicle. A bad weld or problem in a feed line upstream of the engines could have caused it. Have to withhold judgement until the "Tiger team" gets through with the investigation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rye Miles #13621 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 …and this now……... http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-29/orbital-antares-had-soviet-rocket-engines-slated-for-retirement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 The may have forgotten the Vodka additive for the fuel. Don't leave earth without it, as they say in Baikonur. Nostrovya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene Slim SASS 81783 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 You mean, Na Zdorovie! (ok, once upon a time I was married into a Polish family where the toast is the same. Sounds the same too). EDIT: This explains my Polish confusion. More than anyone wanted to know. Sorry! https://suite.io/irene-woodhead/4jbg27d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share Posted November 1, 2014 Another video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9zpCR8AIXM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 Maybe they put too much powder in the case? Gotta admire the coolness of the controller. Didn't sound a bit rattled. Professionalism GG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 You mean, Na Zdorovie! (ok, once upon a time I was married into a Polish family where the toast is the same. Sounds the same too). EDIT: This explains my Polish confusion. More than anyone wanted to know. Sorry! https://suite.io/irene-woodhead/4jbg27d Prosit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted November 1, 2014 Share Posted November 1, 2014 And then we had Spaceship Two crash... Hope there isn't a third "anomaly", although they did get that Atlas V off okay the other day. I can remember when I was a 19-year-old summer hire at the Cape, in '61', seeing a bunch of stuff go haywire. D-model Atlas blowing up at staging of the boosters, a Minuteman I that had the second (solid fuel) stage ignite half-way out of the silo on the first attempt at a silo launch. A Polaris A2X that had a launch liner "shoe" dish and cut the raceway cable, and, of course, later, Challenger and Columbia. We've had a lot fewer problems lately, and we tend to forget that these things can go awry now and then. Hopefully, in both incidents, they can quickly find the "probable cause", fix things, and PRESS ON! "Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer, For those in peril in the air!" - from the Navy Hymn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted November 1, 2014 Author Share Posted November 1, 2014 Prosit! Potrzebie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 http://www.science20.com/cool-links/neil_armstrong_jim_lovell_and_gene_cernan_say_obama_killing_space_program-79393 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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