Antares launch/failure discussion.

[Higgs]

Appeared to be an engine explosion.

"Houston, we have a problem..."

Gonna correct you, its "Houston we have HAD a problem." So says Jim Lovell

[Kryten]

RIP Deke Slayton. Again.

[Sky_walker]

Lol, guy spoke on a NASA TV: "don't talk with the press" and "keep everything in our family" - someone messed up comms channels

Unless that was part of the 5000 pounds of supplies i doubt it was a telescope

Yea, not really a telescope, sorry, I'm trying to keep you folks up to date, blame mistakes on a rush

Here's more details about it: http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/arkyd-3.htm

Edited October 28, 2014 by Sky_walker

[Fingal]

Jebediah's still up for a manned flight tomorrow.

[Epicvux]

That has got to be the most Kerbal launch by NASA I have ever seen!

[Kryten]

He meant 'who's keeping the ISS supplied', not 'Who's taking the blame'. They should be fine with the existing schedule of progress/dragon/HTV flights, they'll just have to reduce the number of running experiments.

[Caelib]

Maybe they wanted to see if KSP v.25's explosions were realistic so they needed a comparison -- looks pretty close to me.

[Higgs]

We can never progress if we allow a failure like this to stop us. It is our responsibility to learn from this, to push forward, to correct what wrong. It is our duty to never forget and reach for that next horizon and the ones beyond that.

[Sky_walker]

Launch control teams are being dismissed, seems like conference won't happen in half an hour as previously expected.

[Kryten]

Look in the science labs. This is the fourth or fifth redundant topic for this.

[hugix]

40 years? Can you give a source? I knew the engines where based on a old desing. But not that the engines themselfs where that old.

[Sky_walker]

Engines were refurbished and modified by Aerojet, so saying that they were "fourty years old" is rather misleading.

[GoSlash27]

That's the moment and point of failure. Right at ignition, there's a bang where there shouldn't be. Then the craft proceeds for a few seconds until a bigger explosion and zero thrust sends it back to the pad.

My money's on a turbopump burnthrough. This design runs extremely lean and routes it's exhaust directly into the chamber instead of over the side. It's very efficient, but also risky because things like this can happen.

Best,

-Slashy

[Kryten]

They're NK-33 engines built for the N-1 program; they've were sat in a warehouse from cancellation in the mid 70s until aerojet bought some on the early 2000s. They have a few upgrades (and are now known officially as 'AJ-26'), but they're still mostly soviet moon rocket heritage.

[inigma]

They forgot to bring Jeb.

[Sky_walker]

They're NK-33 engines built for the N-1 program; they've were sat in a warehouse from cancellation in the mid 70s until aerojet bought some on the early 2000s. They have a few upgrades (and are now known officially as 'AJ-26'), but they're still mostly soviet moon rocket heritage.

Still passed all of the Aerojet quality control tests. And as said - these aren't fully Russian engines, not any more.

[AppleDavidJeans]

They forgot to bring Jeb.

I have reached the same conclusion.

[Sky_walker]

Another video: http://instagram.com/p/utrCAHtI38/

[Fingal]

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g13/GoSlash27/Antaresfailure_zpsa0966f3a.jpg

That's the moment and point of failure. Right at ignition, there's a bang where there shouldn't be. Then the craft proceeds for a few seconds until a bigger explosion and zero thrust sends it back to the pad.

My money's on a turbopump burnthrough. This design runs extremely lean and routes it's exhaust directly into the chamber instead of over the side. It's very efficient, but also risky because things like this can happen.

Best,

-Slashy

Isn't that flash the launch clamps firing? The one on the right seems to fire at the same time as well.

[lajoswinkler]

I just made this with my earlier screenshot. Feel free to share around. I just had to do it.

[Kryten]

The difference is a few valves and the control unit; the nozzle, turbopump and combustion chamber are all soviet. If you look at pictures from the early test firings, you can see they didn't even bother to scrub off the 'HK-33' labels.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Kryten

[Fingal]

I just made this with my earlier screenshot. Feel free to share around. I just had to do it.

http://s30.postimg.org/6rd4n2z1t/cygnus_antares_kumamon_LW.png

I'm surprised no-one's photoshopped in Jeb's little smiling face into the corner.

[GoSlash27]

Isn't that flash the launch clamps firing? The one on the right seems to fire at the same time as well.

Negatory. The ship hadn't been released yet. This was right at ignition.

Best,

-Slashy

[Woopert]

Oh, in that sense I totally agree with you.

I was wronmg on the manufacturing then(sorry).

The engine was and probably still is too far ahead of its time.

Okay, thanks. Glad we resolved what we were both trying to say. I wasn't trying to offend anyone, sorry.

[razark]

I'm surprised no-one's photoshopped in Jeb's little smiling face into the corner.

When the booms happen, the pictures go away.