Orbital Sciences Antares rocket explodes after liftoff

Post by snarkyturtle » Tue, Oct 28, 2014, 11:03 PM UTC

foobarqux wrote: post #13

blhack wrote: post #9

I had a close friend who worked on this. Everybody in our lab stopped working this afternoon to watch it launch, and to cheer our friend on. Definitely went from "YAY!" to sad really quick. It's been said other places in this thread, but to echo it again: I really feel for all the engineers involved in this. That's got to be devastating. To everybody: failures suck, but big spectacular failure is directly correlated…

> Don't fret the failures. Except when it kills people (though this accident didn't).

Post by gresrun » Tue, Oct 28, 2014, 11:06 PM UTC

trothamel wrote: post #31

The first stage engines that exploded were AJ-26 engines. These are remanufactured NK-33 or NK-43 engines built in the Soviet Union in the late-60s or early-70s for the N-1 moon rocket, but never used. In May, an AJ-26 exploded on the test stand at Stennis space center in Mississippi, severely damaging the test stand.

Post by veemjeem » Tue, Oct 28, 2014, 11:09 PM UTC

k-mcgrady wrote: post #10

jwise0 wrote: post #3

There aren't many blogs covering this right now, but there are no personnel injured (according to the launch loop) -- just "significant property damage and significant vehicle damage". Nobody has said much yet: https://twitter.com/OrbitalSciences/status/52722568241456742...

>> "significant property damage and significant vehicle damage" This wasn't launched in a desert/uninhabited area? Edit: Thanks for clarifying below.

Post by sandstrom » Tue, Oct 28, 2014, 11:12 PM UTC

hnlurker wrote: post #33

You will not go to space today.

Post by ianstallings » Tue, Oct 28, 2014, 11:14 PM UTC

trothamel wrote: post #31

The first stage engines that exploded were AJ-26 engines. These are remanufactured NK-33 or NK-43 engines built in the Soviet Union in the late-60s or early-70s for the N-1 moon rocket, but never used. In May, an AJ-26 exploded on the test stand at Stennis space center in Mississippi, severely damaging the test stand.