US rocket Antares explodes during launch

[webfact]

Unmanned US rocket Antares explodes during launch

(BBC) An unmanned supply rocket bound for the International Space Station has exploded during its launch from the US state of Virginia.

Antares, a 14-storey rocket built by Orbital Sciences Corp, combusted seconds after leaving the seaside launch pad at Wallops Flight Facility.

The cause of the cargo ship malfunction has yet to be determined.

The initial planned launch of the spacecraft on Monday was delayed due to a sailboat in nearby waters.

The flight was expected to be the third contracted mission with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The rocket was due to carry nearly 5,000 pounds (2,200 kgs) of supplies to six astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

"We will understand what happened, hopefully soon, and we'll get things back on track," said Frank Culbertson, executive vice-president of Orbital Sciences.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29812139


-- BBC 2014-10-29

[MJP]

[mania]

Glad it was unmanned

I remember watching the Challenger explode in 1986 a little over a minute after lift-off

Terrible thing with 7 member flight crew all killed

[huahinjoe]

This article from Mashable today probably explains the reasons...

Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, trashed Orbital Sciences for using outdated Russian engines during a 2012 Wired interview:

One of our competitors, Orbital Sciences, has a contract to resupply the International Space Station, and their rocket honestly sounds like the punch line to a joke. It uses Russian rocket engines that were made in the ’60s. I don’t mean their design is from the ’60s—I mean they start with engines that were literally made in the ’60s and, like, packed away in Siberia somewhere.

[ravip]

This article from Mashable today probably explains the reasons...

Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, trashed Orbital Sciences for using outdated Russian engines during a 2012 Wired interview:

One of our competitors, Orbital Sciences, has a contract to resupply the International Space Station, and their rocket honestly sounds like the punch line to a joke. It uses Russian rocket engines that were made in the ’60s. I don’t mean their design is from the ’60s—I mean they start with engines that were literally made in the ’60s and, like, packed away in Siberia somewhere.

Would NASA ever contract a company with such a reputation?

[ClutchClark]

As an earlier poster already mentioned, I can't recall of a similar incident since the Challenger.

I, too, remember that spectacle and the disbelief in the moments after.

[huahinjoe]

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This article from Mashable today probably explains the reasons... alt=coffee1.gif width=32 height=24>

Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, trashed Orbital Sciences for using outdated Russian engines during a 2012 Wired interview:

One of our competitors, Orbital Sciences, has a contract to resupply the International Space Station, and their rocket honestly sounds like the punch line to a joke. It uses Russian rocket engines that were made in the ’60s. I don’t mean their design is from the ’60s—I mean they start with engines that were literally made in the ’60s and, like, packed away in Siberia somewhere.

Would NASA ever contract a company with such a reputation?

They meant to be quite stable but obviously not the best idea to use decade old stuff, its still a rocket science

Now plan B of course, but heartbreaking to see all of those various projects got lost and all the hard work behind it...

[Credo]

And right now there is some poor astronaut on the ISS asking "Where is my Big Mac and Fries that I ordered."

[doctormann]

As an earlier poster already mentioned, I can't recall of a similar incident since the Challenger.

I, too, remember that spectacle and the disbelief in the moments after.

I'll never forget the laconic comment by the flight director - 'Vehicle has exploded.'

DM

[zydeco]

This article from Mashable today probably explains the reasons...

Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, trashed Orbital Sciences for using outdated Russian engines during a 2012 Wired interview:

One of our competitors, Orbital Sciences, has a contract to resupply the International Space Station, and their rocket honestly sounds like the punch line to a joke. It uses Russian rocket engines that were made in the ’60s. I don’t mean their design is from the ’60s—I mean they start with engines that were literally made in the ’60s and, like, packed away in Siberia somewhere.

Would NASA ever contract a company with such a reputation?

This isn't the same old mission oriented NASA. We as a country are going backwards to Vanguard, it appears.

[Soutpeel]

Wallops Flight Facility.

ironic name considering what happened

Antares cetainly wallopped the ground...

[zydeco]

KAPUTNIK.

[chuckd]

A $220 million Kaputnik

[Chonburiram]

As an earlier poster already mentioned, I can't recall of a similar incident since the Challenger.

I, too, remember that spectacle and the disbelief in the moments after.

This feeling of disbelief, Challenger i,ve seen live, than Senna in Imola straight in the wall, seen and felt live (at a workmates place, a dedicated Senna fan...), only topped by WTC, not live, but, what the <deleted>?

Sobering.

[mutha289]

This article from Mashable today probably explains the reasons...

Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, trashed Orbital Sciences for using outdated Russian engines during a 2012 Wired interview:

One of our competitors, Orbital Sciences, has a contract to resupply the International Space Station, and their rocket honestly sounds like the punch line to a joke. It uses Russian rocket engines that were made in the ’60s. I don’t mean their design is from the ’60s—I mean they start with engines that were literally made in the ’60s and, like, packed away in Siberia somewhere.

Would NASA ever contract a company with such a reputation?

This isn't the same old mission oriented NASA. We as a country are going backwards to Vanguard, it appears.

Correction, going backwards to a Soviet engine (NK-33) designed for "the ill-fated Soviet N-1 rocket moon shot". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NK-33

[F430murci]

Well, that didn't go so well.

[Lokie]

And Russia had a successful launch this morning which has just docked with the ISS... Bit embarrassing really, these contractors seem to be cutting corners against cost, just lucky no lives have been lost, the launch site was well engulfed with fuel and flame, hope all personnel were ok.

[MJP]

WOW!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IclTka711xo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ0SgAU9LXI

I'm not gloating, just WOW!!!

[zydeco]

Would NASA ever contract a company with such a reputation?

This isn't the same old mission oriented NASA. We as a country are going backwards to Vanguard, it appears.

Correction, going backwards to a Soviet engine (NK-33) designed for "the ill-fated Soviet N-1 rocket moon shot". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NK-33

Yea, outsourcing a lot of Russian junk. I've seen several stories throughout the press over the past few years warning about this reliance on Russian rocket engines.

[zydeco]

And Russia had a successful launch this morning which has just docked with the ISS... Bit embarrassing really, these contractors seem to be cutting corners against cost, just lucky no lives have been lost, the launch site was well engulfed with fuel and flame, hope all personnel were ok.

From the current Nasa administrator at the top, all the way to the bottom--the wrong stuff.

[Lokie]

Yeah, I was gonna ask about the Right stuff, is a crying shame... Im from UK but I once watched the Shuttle Atlantis launch back in 2001 to the ISS, Nighttime launch (well about 05.08hrs) was on vacation with a few mates Fly/drive around Florida, we just fished all night at Indian water near Titusville then the launch came, WOW! was a once in a lifetime experiance and glad I witnessed this amazing feat of engineering - Awsome!

Hopefully NASA gets back on track one day and the right funding from the US and other Governments for the Human Race...

[LawrenceChee]

NASA built dreams and now it's struggling to launch an unmanned supply rocket ....rather a sad decline and why were they using Russian rockets anyway ?

Only relief is no loss of human lives

[ClutchClark]

NASA built dreams and now it's struggling to launch an unmanned supply rocket ....rather a sad decline and why were they using Russian rockets anyway ?

Only relief is no loss of human lives

This seems a bit overly dramatic.

Its not like this supply rocket was the only thing NASA has been working on, please read about the Orion Program and Mars missions.

Why was the sailboat allowed to proceed so far into restricted waters?

[F430murci]

NASA built dreams and now it's struggling to launch an unmanned supply rocket ....rather a sad decline and why were they using Russian rockets anyway ?

Only relief is no loss of human lives

Haha, c'mon. What a sad little man type of comment.

[MJP]

NASA built dreams and now it's struggling to launch an unmanned supply rocket ....rather a sad decline and why were they using Russian rockets anyway ?

Only relief is no loss of human lives

Oh, really?

Well how do explain this?

Yeah, that's right. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

[David48]

Yeah, that's right. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Beam me up Scotty MJP

.

[David48]

Let's establish a few facts ...

The Rocket wasn't built by NASA.

Currently there are (at least) 2 Private companies supplying the International Space Station (ISS).

One of them is 'Orbital Sciences', the other 'SpaceX'.

Orbital Sciences has had 2 previous successful deliveries to the ISS, this was their third launch ... which failed ... spectacularly!

Space ex has launched 4 times delivering 3 payloads (I don't know if the one which reached them yesterday is included in that figure).

Is it unusual for a competitor to bag another ... not really.

That said, Space X use USA designed engines

A lot of what you see was the actual self destruction of the rocket triggered automatically

Orbital officials credited the functioning of the self-destruct mechanism on the Antares rocket as minimizing the destruction caused by the explosion, though there were conflicting reports in the immediate aftermath of the accident as to whether the self-destruct command was triggered automatically or by a flight controller on the ground.

Here

[David48]

For the enthusiasts, of which I am one, below is the longer, 6 min clip

.

[MJP]

Yeah, that's right. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Beam me up Scotty MJP

.

I can't believe Lawrence. "Nasa's in decline". What's he on about?

I mean one the crew of that spaceship even posts on Thai Visa.

Okay, he's living in Pattaya on a retirement visa but learning the language came very easy to him, naturally.

[David48]

Maybe Lawrence is a NASA fan and disappointed that their funding has been reduced to a trickle in relative terms over the past decades.

Who knows?

I've chatted with him on other matters, he's a nice guy.