Kerbal-esque Real life Rocket fails.

[Agricola]

I was watching a documentary on the Mercury Redstone 1 programme when they showed one unsecesful launch where the engines shut down immediately after they were fired, this resulted in a rather comical sequence of events, which of course was the planned automated procedure following engine shut down, having the chutes pop out while still on the pad made me laugh!

[ZooNamedGames]

Yeah... its known as the 4 inch flight... the rocket was supposed to go for a full systems check prior to a flight with life onboard but immediately after launching the computer encountered and error and the computer in-turn shutdown the main engine and fired the escape system.. which (I believe) didn't have a loaded LES... so it "fired" the LES rockets and deployed the chutes in turn...

This is the story of the 4 inch rocket launch...

[Guest]

It's happened because grounding cable disconnected before signal cable and on-board electronics gone nuts.

[tg626]

That's a frightenly basic oversight...

[Bill Phil]

Early rocketry of the space age...

It can be hilarious.

[Camacha]

That's a frightenly basic oversight...

With all that complexity, it often is the simple stuff that goes wrong

[AcidSludge]

This.

Kinda looks like my first experiments with decouplers in KSP.

[kmMango]

Rocket launches, immediately flips and rams into ground. Imagine the rage in mission control:P

- - - Updated - - -

Also, there was a launch I saw a video of. A V2 was sitting on the pad, then suddenly, just fell over and exploded.

[Kryten]

In the late 90's, a Chinese rocket failed to even attempt to take off. Not an abort; the countdown hit zero, with everything apparently going fine, and absolutely nothing happened. Fortunately they were able to carefully defuel the rocket, safe all the explosives, and fly it successfully a few weeks later.

[ZooNamedGames]

People think that Kerbal circumstances never happen in real life- but boy DO THEY...

Thankfully- you dont have the sensitive equipment NASA does- where a FREAKING BOAT can set it off... IN THE SAFE ZONE... Ugh.. Wont ever forget the part when the MController said (not literally- but I'm certain this was in his head at the time) "Screw this- Disable automatic wind warnings and keep me posted on it and I'll make the cal"... he was saying in simpler terms "I've waited 2 years for this launch and I'm done with the computer saying "No Go"- WE'RE LAUNCHING ON MY WATCH...

They still hit the launch window... waste of 12 hours on a cold metal bench...

[shynung]

This Proton seemed to have forgotten to turn on the SAS:

To be honest, it was really hard for me the believe that this isn't KSP footage.

Edited January 4, 2015 by shynung

[gooddog15]

Maybe it was trying to celebrate it's original purpose.

[Bill Phil]

Glorified fireworks! Proton... Now we need Neutron, with slightly more payload, and electron that's a light launch vehicle. Then they would have a full set.

[RainDreamer]

This Proton seemed to have forgotten to turn on the SAS:

That looks reaaaaly like how I fly some of my rocket lol. Swerving around left and right, back and forth, then finally slipped and tumbling down in spectacular explosions.

[1greywind]

This Proton seemed to have forgotten to turn on the SAS:

To be honest, it was really hard for me the believe that this isn't KSP footage.

To be more accurate: they installed probe core upside-down. And SAS did that it should: flew rocket "up" as it senses.

[RainDreamer]

To be more accurate: they installed probe core upside-down. And SAS did that it should: flew rocket "up" as it senses.

What a kerbal mistake.

[78stonewobble]

This Proton seemed to have forgotten to turn on the SAS:

To be honest, it was really hard for me the believe that this isn't KSP footage.

True, it looks exactly like my KSP, uhm from when I began playing... It never happens now... Ahem *cough*

...

So what really went wrong with this one? o.O The engines gimbal like crazy?

EDIT: Nvm. was in the youtube video.

"The preliminary report of the investigation indicated that three of the first stage angular velocity sensors, responsible for yaw control, were installed in an incorrect orientation. As the error affected the redundant sensors as well as the primary ones, the rocket was left with no yaw control, which resulted in the failure. Telemetry data also indicated that a pad umbilical had detached prematurely, suggesting that the Proton may have launched several tenths of a second early, before the engines reached full thrust."

Not that different from installing the probebody upside down... It's a nigh direct translation into ksp right?

Edited January 4, 2015 by 78stonewobble

[Agricola]

Amazed they launched the Proton so close to population centre, here is video of same launch from someones apartment shock waves break the window. imagine how many windows were blown out.

[gooddog15]

Really low income housing?

"Over here you have a great view of the cosmodrome......"

"wouldn't we be accidentally blown up if a rocket hit our house?"

"nah, It's impossible......"

Edited January 4, 2015 by gooddog15

[xcorps]

Which launch was it that took the tower with it? Part of Apollo...

[RainDreamer]

Really low income housing?

"Over here you have a great view of the cosmodrome......"

"wouldn't we be accidentally blown up if a rocket hit our house?"

"nah, It's impossible......"

Makes me wonder if that is what the kerbals think in the astronaut center.

Also, for people living near those launching locations, wouldn't it be possible for a spent stage, or maybe some other pieces of the rocket that is shed during flight, to drop right on them? I don't think I like being hit with a block of space foam from the sky when on a walk.

[Kryten]

Given the distance between any of the pads and Tyrtuyam itself, it's not exactly likely. It's never happened so far after a total of about 3,000 launches.

In the US, it used to be a lot more likely; there were trailer parks within the KSC EDIT: Vandenburg boundary, quite close to the pads. The closest they got to killing somebody was probably this;

trailer was occupied, but fortunately not by anybody standing in the middle.

Edited January 4, 2015 by Kryten

[StrandedonEarth]

I really doubt they would deliberately launch directly over housing, which is probably largely for space center staff

Edit: Ninja'd by the above post; I stand corrected.

[RainDreamer]

In the US, it used to be a lot more likely; there were trailer parks within the KSC boundary, quite close to the pads..

I almost read this as Kerbal Space Center....

Which reminds me of the barns and trailers pack we saw on a teaser.

[ZooNamedGames]

Which launch was it that took the tower with it? Part of Apollo...

??? The tower was never destroyed during any Apollo mission nor did it bring along any part... those arms separate prior to launch and if were to fail they'd shut down the rocket and abort... because with those attached it could cause structural/fuel/ and aerodynamic issues...

Now the Launchpad WAS struck by lightning during Apollo 12's launch... twice in fact... hit the rocket (causing the famous SCE to Auxillary emergency)- and followed the contrail all the way back to the pad.