Journal #8458

Posted 9 years ago2014-10-28 22:31:54 UTC
The Mad Carrot The Mad CarrotMad Carrot
I've seen a lot of rocket launches live on NASA TV and SpaceFlightNow.com, including todays launch of the Antares rocket carrying the Sygnus spacecraft to resupply the ISS, as seen here, 4 minutes and 28 seconds before launch:
User posted image
But the launch didn't really go as planned:
User posted image
It exploded six seconds after lift-off.

Aerial view of the damaged Antares launchpad:
User posted image
Live NASA webcast footage of the failed launch
Video of the failure from the press site
Video of the failure from 3000ft

This is the first time I've seen a launch failure live. Holy crap.

20 Comments

Commented 9 years ago2014-10-28 23:40:02 UTC Comment #38761
Were there people on that thing?
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-28 23:42:44 UTC Comment #38756
No, it's an unmanned launch vehicle. Still devastating though.
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 00:49:48 UTC Comment #38763
Yowser!

Must have been really surreal seeing it live :o
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 01:21:29 UTC Comment #38764
^ That's hott..

There's got to be an easier way to space than this... Shouldn't we at least have the technology now to launch these things without them blowing up anymore?
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 01:23:26 UTC Comment #38773
Hopefully SpaceX doesn't have this problem when they start doing manned missions. Curious as to what caused it, wish I could go to spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccceeeeeeeeeee.
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 02:00:29 UTC Comment #38769
When I first heard about this, I was just really glad it was unmanned.
Massive financial loss, I'm sure, and I hope it wasn't carrying, like, food or anything else that's needed on the ISS urgently, but at least nobody died in the blast.
Really impressed that the control room personnel were able to remain calm.
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 03:17:35 UTC Comment #38770
Maaan. Glad there was noone on it. I still remember the Columbia.
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 03:42:00 UTC Comment #38775
I remember watching the challenger disaster as a kid.(Yeah, I'm old...) I agree that you wonder why we haven't mastered technology that's been around since the '40s, but it goes to show how really difficult a task it remains. I'm also very glad that it was an unmanned mission.I hope they get the supplies up there soon.
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 05:52:48 UTC Comment #38774
The same thing happened with Soyuz when it was carrying GLONASS. (Two times)
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 06:56:50 UTC Comment #38766
Aren't they using reconditioned USSR rockets as old as 60'? If that's the case, I see where the problem is coming.

[EDIT] People making weird noises at 0:15
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 16:08:00 UTC Comment #38757
That could be the case indeed, striker. It was just too much for the old engine, and it exploded.
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 16:39:42 UTC Comment #38771
That's what happens when you work with things that explode, though :P
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 17:39:47 UTC Comment #38767
That's like saying to a failed bomb explosion that instead only burns "that's what happens when you work with things that are flammable" :P.
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 21:04:32 UTC Comment #38768
50 year old solid fuel rockets? you gotta be kidding
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-29 23:18:14 UTC Comment #38758
I've added a photo of the damaged launchpad and a video of the launch failure from inside a small plane at 3000ft.
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-30 03:31:30 UTC Comment #38765
Can't NASA just make a big trebuchet or steam catapult to shoot men and materials into space? :P
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-30 17:07:12 UTC Comment #38772
I approve of this. Where do I sign up?
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-31 22:06:37 UTC Comment #38760
The week just got much darker for space flight as a pilot tragically lost his life in a solid rocket booster failure and explosion on a SpaceShipTwo test flight.
Commented 9 years ago2014-10-31 22:30:28 UTC Comment #38759
Yeah, I was about to tell about that here. Terrible indeed. :(
Commented 7 years ago2016-10-17 14:38:27 UTC Comment #38762
I heard another Antares rocket will take to the skies almost two years from now.

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