Is this the worst accident in Wallops history? For the most part they've launched small sounding rockets and such.My condolences to the folks at Orbital.
Quote from: Jim on 10/29/2014 01:15 amQuote from: meekGee on 10/28/2014 10:57 pm An unbroken rocket that's not flying right is the very scenario that FTS is supposed to mitigate.No, FTS is to keep rockets from going outside the impact boundaries. This one was within them and posed no threat to the public or other facilities.On the launches that I've been on, the general FTS guideline was that if anything catastrophic was going wrong that you engage the FTS in order to keep it on range. Once things start to fail, you have to assume that the FTS will fail imminently, so you hit destruct the second you know. It's big trouble if you don't hit the FTS because it's still on range, then the FTS link goes down in the failure and the rocket continues and heads off range...In many launches, just not even having TM/radar to know where the object is in 3-dimensions (even if you have it visually) for over 3-5 seconds is enough to warrant a destruct.
Quote from: meekGee on 10/28/2014 10:57 pm An unbroken rocket that's not flying right is the very scenario that FTS is supposed to mitigate.No, FTS is to keep rockets from going outside the impact boundaries. This one was within them and posed no threat to the public or other facilities.
An unbroken rocket that's not flying right is the very scenario that FTS is supposed to mitigate.
Chris Lewicki (@interplanetary)29/10/2014 05:05Cheer up everybody - A3 was just a robot! We are making more. #LiveToFlyAnotherDay #ARKYD @PlanetaryRsrcs
N1-curse?
Yes, I'm an AJ-26 basher and admit it. 30 something year old rocket engines? Really? Is there a future there?I am willing to hold off on judgment until the investigation comes back and reports that a turbopump blew itself apart... ;-)
Quote from: inventodoc on 10/29/2014 03:44 amYes, I'm an AJ-26 basher and admit it. 30 something year old rocket engines? Really? Is there a future there?I am willing to hold off on judgment until the investigation comes back and reports that a turbopump blew itself apart... ;-)Nothing wrong with 30 year old designs. The AJ-26 is a highly efficient engine.
Perhaps in this rocket, all FTS does is kill the thrust (in the other engine) and unzip the tanks
, expecting aero loads to do the rest - which in fast flight will take a fraction of a second - but in this case took several seconds before there was significant mixing of fuel and oxygen. The unzipped tanks didn't crumple or buckle, because they were in free fall, with no load, and barely moving.
Quote from: FinalFrontier on 10/29/2014 02:48 amHopefully, pretty sure payloads are well insured (I think) so maybe some solace there to mount replacements in the future. Hopefully no criticals for ISS supplies lost. Also, thank god no personnel injured, was a very nasty explosion and fire. Did not seem to me like a TVC failure or that destruct command ever made it to the vehicle, instead very clearly appears to be at least a partial explosive failure of the engine, that or the engine lost all pressure in an explosive manner (chamber/throat, or turbo-pump cracked/split?). Mr. Culbertson said there was "some" insurance (I inferred it was not fully/heavily insured). And of course we know that having insurance doesn't necessarily mean there is a timely payout...Mr. Culbertson also confirmed FTS was engaged, though I agree there was a (rapid) failure of an engine leading to FTS. I would GUESS turbo machinery failure, especially knowing the single shaft "stacked" nature of said gear.
Hopefully, pretty sure payloads are well insured (I think) so maybe some solace there to mount replacements in the future. Hopefully no criticals for ISS supplies lost. Also, thank god no personnel injured, was a very nasty explosion and fire. Did not seem to me like a TVC failure or that destruct command ever made it to the vehicle, instead very clearly appears to be at least a partial explosive failure of the engine, that or the engine lost all pressure in an explosive manner (chamber/throat, or turbo-pump cracked/split?).