Jump to content

Major Proton launch failure


Kryten

Recommended Posts

That was so "real life imitating KSP" that it's almost funny.

Shame about the loss of pricy satellites... "and that's kinda why manned rockets really need the launch escape system" :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it would be manageable as long as the nuclear isotopes don't burn.

It's still not good, but it would also depend on what type of isotopes they used for it.

Some of those old strontium RTG where bad even in one piece.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The amount of nuclear material on GLONASS sats is insignificant. This is just press making noise out of nothing.

As for the launch, looks like engine failure to me. Of course, that's a very broad diagnosis. Almost anything that can go wrong with the first stage is some sort of engine failure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This immediately reminded me of KSP; as I've had many kerbal space ships do variations of that move right there.

I guess the Russians either need to play more KSP or ask MechJeb for help.

I don't know it looks like a total MechJeb failure to me.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would it be even that dangerous if a real RTG would break?

RTG have the radioactive heat source encapsulated in such a way that they should withstand reentry and impact. The RTGs typically use plutonium dioxide, so it shouldn't burn even if it does get loose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thing that strikes me as odd about the Proton crash is that the Range Safety Officer did not blow the thing up. Or do the Russians not go in for that kind of thing?

It happen so low I don't think it would have mattered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thing that strikes me as odd about the Proton crash is that the Range Safety Officer did not blow the thing up. Or do the Russians not go in for that kind of thing?

Russians don't use a range safety device: They merely shut off the engines. In this case, policy dictates that they cannot do so for 42 seconds, in order to ensure that the crash is away from the launchpad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just before it burst into flames, there was a shot of the engines; all six were definitely still thrusting.

Which doesn't rule out a leak. But appears to me to be a loss of gimbal control from the roll rate that builds up pretty early.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to what I read, the engines are locked for the first 42 seconds, to make sure the rocket clears the launch area, thats why the engines kept burning the whole way down.

Edit: was ninja'd :D

Edited by tek_604
Ninja'd
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The amount of nuclear material on GLONASS sats is insignificant. This is just press making noise out of nothing.

As for the launch, looks like engine failure to me. Of course, that's a very broad diagnosis. Almost anything that can go wrong with the first stage is some sort of engine failure.

agreed, on both counts.

While plutonium, and especially plutonium oxide, is rather toxic (think lead or mercury poisoning) the concentration/dose would be rather small and in a scenario like this either rapidly dispersed over a very wide area by wind (leading to no LD50 being exceeded anywhere where people could survive otherwise) or extremely concentrated in one place and therefore easy to control and clean up.

Watching the video, there appears to be a thrust imbalance between the boosters, causing the rocket to veer off course and eventually break up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Watching the video, there appears to be a thrust imbalance between the boosters, causing the rocket to veer off course and eventually break up.
It doesn't have boosters. I think this wasn't hardware and more of a software problem.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It doesn't have boosters. I think this wasn't hardware and more of a software problem.

Agreed. If you look at the exhaust when it tips over, the engines are gimballing around in an exaggerated manner, in the direction of the tip. Hell, it even starts to spin about the vertical axis. I suspect someone screwed up the PID controller and it was overcompensating for wobble.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...