Author Topic: Rocket "Loops"  (Read 20442 times)

Offline riney

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #20 on: 09/09/2013 08:08 pm »
The energy-dissipating "corkscrew" maneuver used in THAAD testing was... interesting.


Offline WallE

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #21 on: 02/18/2018 04:07 pm »
Cartwheels happened on Atlas flights a bunch of times. Here's some of the more notable ones.

*Atlas 3B 7/19/58--First Atlas B test flight. The yaw gyro motor was not running at launch and as soon as the pitch and roll program was executed, it started tumbling erratically until finally breaking up at the forward end of the LOX tank at T+43 seconds. The fuel tank and thrust section fell into the ocean just offshore.
*Atlas 23D 5/6/60--The pitch gyro motor failed when some of its wiring shorted to the gyro case. The missile performed a cartwheel before the Range Safety Officer blew it up 25 seconds after launch.
*Atlas 17E 6/23/61--The pitch gyro was apparently running at half speed and the missile began oscillating in the pitch plane shortly after launch. This worsened as the launch progressed, and it finally self-destructed 101 seconds into launch from either structural loads or aerodynamic heating of the propellant tanks.
*Atlas 102D 3/10/63--Another gyroscope failure, the Atlas looped 340 degrees and self-destructed 33 seconds into launch. Why no Range Safety action was taken like with 23D is a mystery. GD/A afterwards issued a tech bulletin urging the replacement of all older Atlas Type B gyro canisters with the newer Type D canister that incorporated the Spin Motor Rotation Detection System.
*GATV 5003 5/17/66--An unplanned pitchover maneuver just before BECO caused the Atlas to plummet back towards Earth. SECO and VECO occurred on time, and the Agena target vehicle separated and fell into the Atlantic Ocean. The failure was believed to either be the result of a pinched wire in the missile programmer or something being frozen by LOX leakage.
*Atlas 68E/NOSS-4 12/9/80--A piece of corroded ducting caused loss of B-1 engine turbopump lubricant. It pinwheeled over in a very similar manner to the GATV failure 15 years earlier and headed back towards Earth, however the RSO blew it up this time.
*Atlas 76E/GPS-7 12/19/81--The B-2 engine shut down seconds into launch due to an improper repair job that caused the gas generator to rupture, the resultant gas leak burning through LOX ducting. The booster corkscrewed over and crashed several hundred feet from the pad in an enormous fireball. I'm actually not sure if it was destructed by RSO action or not.
« Last Edit: 02/19/2018 05:43 pm by WallE »

Offline Alter Sachse

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #22 on: 02/18/2018 04:41 pm »
It was GATV 5004.
One day you're a hero  next day you're a clown  there's nothing that is in between
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Offline WallE

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #23 on: 02/18/2018 06:11 pm »
Some Thor/Delta cartwheels:

*Discoverer 10 2/19/60--The booster began oscillating in the pitch plane shortly after liftoff and eventually tumbled out of control, the RSO blowing it up about 52 seconds into launch. Most of the debris landed in the pad area and it was thought to be the result of an unauthorized repair to the autopilot.
*Discoverer 27 7/21/61--Another pitch control failure, this one apparently due to an open circuit in the programmer. Control was lost and the Thor broke up at the forward end of the fuel tank 60 seconds into launch.
*Nimbus B 5/18/68--Control started to fail soon as the pitch and roll sequence started, and the RSO blew it up at T+101 seconds. The failure was apparently the result of a rather burly technician applying too much force when installing the yaw gyro and breaking its alignment pins. It is more notable perhaps for the Navy's recovery of the SNAP generators carried by the satellite.
*Intelsat 3-1 9/18/68--The Delta booster began experiencing pitch oscillations soon after liftoff, but these remained within allowable safety margins until T+100 seconds when control was completely lost and it started heading back towards land. The booster was destructed by Range Safety at T+108 seconds.
*GOES G--5/3/86--The Delta main engine shut down at T+71 seconds, causing complete loss of attitude control. It tumbled violently, the third stage and payload being stripped off, and the second stage tank being ruptured. The RSO destructed the booster 20 seconds after the engine shutdown. Damaged wiring produced an electrical short that drained the booster's batteries and caused loss of power needed to keep the main propellant valves open.

Also while not a Thor, the first and only Mercury-Scout launch on 11/1/61 ended ignominiously when the Scout booster lost control shortly after liftoff. It began tumbling and breaking up, and the RSO destruct command was sent 43 seconds into launch. The cause of the failure was a simple mistake by a technician who transposed two wires, causing pitch signals to be sent to roll and vice versa.
« Last Edit: 04/30/2018 04:54 pm by WallE »

Offline WallE

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #24 on: 02/19/2018 05:34 pm »
And finally Titan "loops":

*Titan I J-2 7/1/60--The first attempt at launching a Lot J Titan I ended quickly when the missile pitched almost as soon as it cleared the tower and began flying horizontally. The RSO destruct command was sent 11 seconds into launch and the almost fully-fueled Titan crashed several hundred feet from LC-20 in a spectacular conflagration. A hydraulic line in the first stage failed from vibration, causing loss of pressure to the first stage hydraulic system seconds after launch and total loss of control.
*Titan II N-7 2/16/63--The first attempt at launching a Titan II from a silo failed due to inadequate clearance for the umbilicals, which ripped out wiring in the guidance system. The missile lifted in an uncontrolled roll, then pitched over about 15 seconds after launch, and flipped nearly upside down. The second stage broke away from the stack and tripped the ISDS system, blowing up the first stage. That this happened was extremely fortunate because the wiring damage also disabled the RSO charges and the launch crew were in a panic due to their inability to destroy the out of control vehicle.
*Titan II N-20 5/29/63--A faulty fuel valve caused a propellant leak that led to a thrust section fire during ascent. Control of the missile gradually failed and it pinwheeled over about 50 seconds into launch. The second stage broke away from the stack and the ISDS system destroyed the first stage. After a few seconds of free flight, the second stage was manually destructed by RSO action.
*Titan 3C-12/IDCSP 8/26/66 Pieces of the payload fairing began breaking off 15 seconds after launch, and at 78 seconds, the fairing completely disintegrated. The Titan flipped nearly upside down, causing the SRBs to break away from the core due to aerodynamic loads. The ISDS charges then activated and blew the vehicle up. Cause of the failure was suspected to be moisture accumulating in the fiberglass payload shroud, so it was replaced by a metal one on subsequent flights.

Offline koroljow

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Re: Rocket "Loops"
« Reply #25 on: 04/28/2018 03:51 pm »
Some Thor/Delta cartwheels:

*Nimbus B 5/18/68--Control started to fail soon as the pitch and roll sequence started, and the RSO blew it up at T+101 seconds. The failure was apparently the result of a rather burly technician applying too much force when installing the yaw gyro and breaking its alignment pins. It is more notable perhaps for the Navy's recovery of the SNAP generators carried by the satellite.

Really T+101 s? http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19690014846 says T+121 s, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/day-nimbus-weather-satellie-180961686/ even more precisely T+120,8 s.
Geschichte und Geschichten aus mehr als sechseinhalb Jahrzehnten Raumfahrt:
http://www.raumfahrtkalender.de

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