Antares launch/failure discussion.

[Woopert]

It shocks me that people here take real rocket failures as a joke, like it's KSP or something...

I went to a field to try to watch the launch and just waited, was wondering what happened until I got home and saw the fire everywhere on NASA TV.

[Agricola]

And Another one from different view.

[Hydrazine_Soup]

At least no humans lives were lost

Edited February 22, 2020 by Hydrazine_Soup

[Sky_walker]

Why are people here laughing? Rocket failures are no joke...

Who's laughing? Relax man. It's no joke, but it's also something everyone (I hope) keep in mind - rocked DO explode from time to time. With all our tech - we're still not advanced enough to ensure 99%+ safety of a rocket launches. And CCDev with it's specifics of rapid development is more prone to failures than most of the competitors. What happened now was only a matter of time. I would say: it's a very good thing that CCDev rocket exploded now and not when they started carrying humans to the orbit (yes, Antares itself never was suppose to fulfill that role, none the less it should give some lessons to all of the participants).

Edited October 28, 2014 by Sky_walker

[Tortoise]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY8cngQba58

Very unfortunate.

[lajoswinkler]

Who's laughing? Relax man.

I am. In fact, I was hoping we get some fireworks. Evil, I know, but I never do it with manned flights.

[StrandedonEarth]

Appeared to be an engine explosion.

"Houston, we have a problem..."

[Woopert]

Well, the engines are NK-33's. Not so sure that was a good idea considering their failures with the N-1 and what country is supplying them.

[razark]

Why are people here laughing? Rocket failures are no joke...

Because humor helps to relieve tension, and no people were involved.

[GoSlash27]

Who's laughing? Relax man.

Sorry, but I am. It's a personality quirk, perhaps a survival mechanism: laugh in the face of adversity.

-Slashy

[Brethern]

It shocks me that people here take real rocket failures as a joke, like it's KSP or something...

I went to a field to try to watch the launch and just waited, was wondering what happened until I got home and saw the fire everywhere on NASA TV.

Buddy people have been making fun of rocket launch failures since the 60's or did you think squad came up with the name stayputnik>

[blizzy78]

Higher quality replay:

[Agricola]

Are you suggesting they were doing things on the cheap then Woopert?

[Wesreidau]

In before the EPA digs up the entire beach over two pounds of hydrazine*...

* I have no idea if there was hydrazine present in this payload.

[Fingal]

Don't feel too bad Orbital. If you don't have the occasional failure you're not being adventurous, imaginative or ambitious enough.

[hugix]

Okey, this happened.

Some of you found it Kerbal, some cool and other felt bad for the work that was blown up.

But none of that in this topic! Lets show our rocket mechanic skills and try to discover what went wrong this mission.

Make your statement about what went wrong (and right) this mission based on what you've seen and learned. Describe what happened and how it happened.

This i just a silly little showoff of technical talent so please, any data you've got. Share them for the other readers / contestants. The one with the idea closest to what really happened (measured by the investigation report board) wins a eternal technical glory on this forum and can call himself a true space engineering nerd!

sources :

HD video of liftoff :

Edited October 28, 2014 by hugix

[crasher925]

i saw the orange i hate it when rockets fail gives buracrats another reason to keep space travel form growing

[Jeff Bird]

In before the EPA digs up the entire beach over two pounds of hydrazine*....

Yeah, you're right there. That's how they keep their jobs.

[Sky_walker]

Stream on NASA TV is still on if anyone wants to check it out:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/

Accident investigation already begun, data is being collected and derbies secured.

[Agricola]

reports suggest that engine failed only T-6 seconds in, the explosion happened about 15 seconds.

[rodion_herrera]

It's so...Kerbal.

[GoSlash27]

That big-ass flash on the side immediately after ignition. That's the blowout. That's what killed her.

Edited October 28, 2014 by GoSlash27

[ANWRocketMan]

I'm really getting tired of these nationalistioc Americans bad-mouthing everything the russians do. The problem on the N-1 was the fuel feeds and complicated plumbing to 30 of these engines(they were NK-15's as well, not the more modern NK-33's). Not the engines themselves. Besides that, these engines are manufactured and produced by Aerojet. Considering this is probably a manufacturing flaw rather than design-related I don't see why this despisement of the Russian engine.

That said, it is a very complex engine. The closed-cycle loop it uses has almost never been used and as far as I know is prone to failure.

Edited October 28, 2014 by ANWRocketMan

[Jeff Bird]

That big-ass flash on the side immediately after ignition. That's the blowout. That's what killed her.

Yeah, something let go and took the rest out.

[okan170]

Well, the engines are NK-33's. Not so sure that was a good idea considering their failures with the N-1 and what country is supplying them.

More concerning is that one of them (NK-33/AJ-26) exploded on the test stand at Stennis back in May. I know this prompted Orbital to work with ATK to replace the first stage booster of Antares, which has been sort of an ongoing project. This may be the last flight of the engine ever though.

edit: ^^ Clarification: the engines are leftover from the N1 program. The engines have been reassembled and recertified by Aerojet and marketed under the AJ-26 label.