Orbital CRS-3 Rocket explodes t+6 seconds

[eddie]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Our backward march continues... hey, Russia, can you help us with our rockets? We don't have any more German scientists from WWII.

Check out NASA's record with rockets back in the day, seems like every other one blew up on the pad! These are new companies getting into rocket design, and it appears they are taking short cuts that aren't working out real well. But we have had plenty of Atlas and Titan rockets do the same thing sadly.

[Aktungbby]

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Our backward march continues... hey, Russia, can you help us with our rockets? We don't have any more German scientists from WWII.

Because German rockets were that reliable:



Still, at least no-one was killed in this incident, and there'll be others...no new rocket is problem-free...the amount of times the Titan blew up during launch, but it became the most relied and trusted launch vehicle in the US arsenal, likewise NASA.

I think my favourite explosion was the Delta II in 1997, a ruptured SRM casing set off the auto-destruct thirteen seconds after launch.


Until we build a space elevator, or some form of mass driver then we're stuck with the old and inefficient solid-fuel propellant devices and the costs involved with them. It's all rather short-sighted...but humanity is, really, otherwise we'd have globalised the space program by now and actually be making strides to get an off-planet facility working.



EDIT: Oh...almost forgot my second favourite rocket fail, the Zenit 3SL, which managed to melt the launchpad underneath it and fall into the sea:

[Aktungbby]

Perhaps necessity will speed up the mother of invention! just to stay a step ahead of the tribulation!!

[Oberon]

I dunno...I think the answer might just fall on us one day...

[Aktungbby]

or...

[NeonSamurai]

The simple fact is that rocket launch failures happen, even with generally well rated engines, and there are always kinks when it comes to designing and using a new launcher, such as unanticipated pogo effects or problems with the piping. Considering it had 3 prior successful missions in space, it is doing pretty good (the Falcon-1 for example had 3 failures to 2 successes)

As for the NK-33. They are generally considered to be a very good engine design with great specific impulse. They themselves were not the reason why the N-1 project was such a colossal failure, it had to do with the clustered design.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by magicstix

I had thought about getting a job at Orbital Sciences... Now I'm not so sure...

You would really base an employment decision based on this one incident?

Orbital is quite successful in most of the stuff they are doing. If I wanted to get into the purely civilian market, Orbital would be one of the first I would send my resume to.

[Rockstar]

I hate to break the news to everyone but we really need to get these astronauts resupplied soon. This set back could lead to a major international incident if they start battling over the last roll of toilet paper.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Rockstar

I hate to break the news to everyone but we really need to get these astronauts resupplied soon. This set back could lead to a major international incident if they start battling over the last roll of toilet paper.

Fortunately, they have plenty up there to last them.