Author Topic: Rocket "Loops"  (Read 20438 times)

Online edkyle99

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Rocket "Loops"
« on: 07/02/2013 06:57 pm »
The big loop carved out by the failing, 388th Proton at Baikonur on July 2 made me wonder how often similar events have occurred.  By similar events I mean rockets flying on seemingly good engines, but flipping out of control.  Perhaps we can list a few in this thread.

I'll start with an image of the most recent Proton "loop".

I'll add an image of the famous Juno II failure of July 16, 1959 from Cape Canaveral LC 5.  That rocket didn't make as big a loop as Proton because it turned closer to the ground.

And, of course, the all time winner may be the spiraling Trident 2.

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 07/02/2013 07:03 pm by edkyle99 »

Offline Jim

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #1 on: 07/02/2013 07:01 pm »
Trident II
Early Atlas
Taurus
Jupiter
« Last Edit: 07/02/2013 07:02 pm by Jim »

Offline R7

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #2 on: 07/02/2013 07:04 pm »
Falcon 1 ?

edit: and obviously V-2



S-300 SAM goes coo-coo



Titan II

The Air Force feels that the launching is a partial success because of the smooth exit from the silo!



same launch(?) in slo-mo starting at 10:40 (doozy soundtrack!)

« Last Edit: 07/02/2013 08:47 pm by R7 »
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Offline bubbagret

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #3 on: 07/02/2013 07:08 pm »
Long March 3B Intelsat 708

Online edkyle99

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #4 on: 07/02/2013 07:14 pm »
Long March 3B Intelsat 708
Yes, that one nearly did a loop before hitting the ground, though nighttime darkness concealed the full effect.

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Offline drbuzz0

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #5 on: 07/02/2013 07:17 pm »
There was a Russian ICBM test in which the upper stage failed and went into a spin over Norway.   The spinning stage shot out propellant and formed a spiral that looked very dramatic on time exposure shots.

Some people stated claiming it was some kind of portal to another dimension or something crazy like that.

http://spaceports.blogspot.com/2009/12/failed-russian-icbm-booster-test-leaves.html

Offline ClaytonBirchenough

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #6 on: 07/02/2013 08:59 pm »
I also like the Trident 2... pretty incredible luck with the camera angle.
Clayton Birchenough

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #7 on: 07/02/2013 09:07 pm »
Falcon 1 ?
I don't think that the first Falcon 1 did a loop, because it lost thrust while climbing and then fell down unpowered.  It slid a bit sideways coming down, but it was not in a powered loop like yesterday's Proton.

The explosion when it hit was loud and dramatic like Proton, though obviously less energetic due to the available propellant.

 - Ed Kyle

Online edkyle99

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #8 on: 07/02/2013 09:09 pm »
I also like the Trident 2... pretty incredible luck with the camera angle.

I'm trying to find a Minuteman or MX missile test that I remember did something like that during the 1980s or 90s, but I've had no luck so far. 

 - Ed Kyle

Offline R7

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #9 on: 07/02/2013 09:38 pm »
The explosion when it hit was loud and dramatic like Proton

What explosion? Tanks designed to rupture to relieve structural stress during rapid ground contact ruptured, and propellants designed to rapidly mix and burn to minimize ecological harm on marine life rapidly mixed and burned effectuating brief period of elevated heat, sound and light.

Btw I think there are couple Minuteman-loops at the end of (from ~15:50) second Titan II video I posted.
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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #10 on: 07/02/2013 10:30 pm »
I know the Masten guys still semi-seriously talk about having Xombie do an *intentional* flip as its final flight, if they run out of customers for more sane flight profiles, and don't get any paid offers from museums to retire Xombie before they do that flight...

:-)

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Offline ClaytonBirchenough

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #11 on: 07/03/2013 12:03 am »
I know the Masten guys still semi-seriously talk about having Xombie do an *intentional* flip as its final flight, if they run out of customers for more sane flight profiles, and don't get any paid offers from museums to retire Xombie before they do that flight...

:-)

~Jon

Wow, that'd be cool to see! :)
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Offline jongoff

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #12 on: 07/03/2013 03:38 am »
I know the Masten guys still semi-seriously talk about having Xombie do an *intentional* flip as its final flight, if they run out of customers for more sane flight profiles, and don't get any paid offers from museums to retire Xombie before they do that flight...

:-)

~Jon

Wow, that'd be cool to see! :)

Yeah, especially if it does the loops successfully without crashing!

~Jon

Offline Proponent

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #13 on: 07/03/2013 06:17 am »
Wasn't there a DC-X or DC-XA flight during which the vehicle intentionally flew a loop and landed safely?

Offline woods170

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #14 on: 07/03/2013 09:32 am »
What explosion? Tanks designed to rupture to relieve structural stress during rapid ground contact ruptured, and propellants designed to rapidly mix and burn to minimize ecological harm on marine life rapidly mixed and burned effectuating brief period of elevated heat, sound and light.

 ;D

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #15 on: 07/03/2013 02:03 pm »
What explosion? Tanks designed to rupture to relieve structural stress during rapid ground contact ruptured, and propellants designed to rapidly mix and burn to minimize ecological harm on marine life rapidly mixed and burned effectuating brief period of elevated heat, sound and light.

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #16 on: 07/03/2013 02:06 pm »
Wasn't there a DC-X or DC-XA flight during which the vehicle intentionally flew a loop and landed safely?

No, the DC-X flew a "box trajectory" in one or more flights that mirrored what we did in the NGLLC, and it also did a "death swoop" where it nosed down, and then pulled up. But unless I'm misremembering something, neither was what you could call a "loop" in my book.

~Jon

Offline Nickolai

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #17 on: 07/03/2013 07:49 pm »
I know the Masten guys still semi-seriously talk about having Xombie do an *intentional* flip as its final flight, if they run out of customers for more sane flight profiles, and don't get any paid offers from museums to retire Xombie before they do that flight...

:-)

~Jon

Wow, that'd be cool to see! :)

Heck, I'll pay them for that flight!

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #18 on: 07/03/2013 09:30 pm »
I know the Masten guys still semi-seriously talk about having Xombie do an *intentional* flip as its final flight, if they run out of customers for more sane flight profiles, and don't get any paid offers from museums to retire Xombie before they do that flight...

:-)

~Jon

Wow, that'd be cool to see! :)

Heck, I'll pay them for that flight!

Me too. Maybe a kickstarter is in order? :)
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Online edkyle99

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #19 on: 09/09/2013 07:53 pm »
Jupiter
Yes.  That one turns out to have been Jupiter AM-23.  It happened only two months after the infamous Juno 2 AM-16 failure.  AM-23 did its own cartwheel seconds after liftoff. 

AM-23 lifted off from Cape Canaveral LC 26B on September 15, 1959 at 16:45 EST, following 12 hours and 15 minutes of countdown delays (it was supposed to liftoff during the pre-dawn hours to facilitate recovery of the Bioflight 3 capsule in the nose cone.  AM-23 suffered a failed silver solder connection on a pressure sphere, which appears to have depressurized the upper kerosene tank among other things.  The missile was immediately in trouble, wobbling as it rose.  Then the kerosene tank ruptured, breaking the missile in half as the somehow still-thrusting engine began to spin the machine upside down.  Fourteen seconds after liftoff, having spun inverted and beyond through nearly 270 degrees, the LOX tank split open, creating a massive fireball.  The nose cone fell clear of the conflagration and plummeted to earth.  The resulting explosion and debris damaged Juno 2 AM-19A standing on LC 5, but the damage was repairable.  AM-19A went on to successfully orbit Explorer 7 on October 13, 1959.

The heaviest parts of the missile impacted just short of the beach, creating a 50 foot wide, 10 foot deep impact crater.  Archeologists examined the still-existing crater in 2007 and 2012 and found five decade old fragments of the missile still buried in the sand.  Right about here I think.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=cape+canaveral&ll=28.44007,-80.561827&spn=0.001241,0.002411&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&hnear=Cape+Canaveral,+Brevard,+Florida&t=h&z=19

After AM-23, Jupiter never failed again, scoring 15 consecutive successes before the program was phased out in 1963.   No one seems to recall those 15 successful launches, but they remember AM-23 and AM-16.

 - Ed Kyle
« Last Edit: 09/11/2013 07:04 pm by edkyle99 »

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