Did anyone else see the Antares Rocket explode?

[michael_m]

Just watched the Antares liftoff from Wallops with cargo to the space station, and the rocket has exploded! :eyepop:

[scagman]

Just saw it on ABC news.

[Ric]

Just caught up with it on the live feed.

looks like the launch pad is still burning and a lot of flashing lights about.

There was no mention on the local new reports this morning.

[hobbit]

Luckily unmanned.

[deanm]

The folks over at TPS have posted video footage:

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/2014/20141018-antares-rocket-explodes.html

No injuries, but very messy.

Dean

[blink138]

just seen it now........... not as big an explosion as i would have imagined with a full load of fuel aboard though!
pat

[ZeroID]

Wow ! Just watched the video, ... bugga !

[traveller]

It sure was a big bang. A rocket is essentially a controlled explosion device, but when the explosion is un-controlled, it will do so in a big way.
Glad no one was hurt.
Bo

[gary]

Article here about the 22 May 2014 failure during hot testing
of the 1960's design Russian-built engine :-

http://www.universetoday.com/112099/antares-rocket-engine-suffers-significant-failure-during-testing/

[barx1963]

Apparently, in NASA speak this is referred to as a T.U.D. (Total Unscheduled Disassembly). I told my stepson this and he suggested a more appropriate term would be Total Unscheduled Regrettable Disassembly (T.U.R.D.).


Malcolm

[mr bruess]

Until NASA's and Orbital Sciences' investigation is over, perhaps it would be best for all of us to keep our "suggestions" as to what went wrong to an absolute minimum. I'm willing to bet that most of the people making accusations relating to the accident know next to nothing about that which they are blaming the accident on.The -point, 95% believing that the "39 year old" Russian engine was to blame. Seeing as how most of the world isn't fortunate enough to be inhabited by rocket scientists, perhaps we should cease to make statements relating to rocket engines, and rocket design in general

[gary]

Video of the explosion taken from on-board Cessna 177 flying at 3000' -
http://youtu.be/zarWT7H9t54



Article here :-
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/oct/28/antares-rocket-explodes-nasa-launch-pad-orbital-science


Article here :-
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2014/10/29/after-antares-rocket-explosion-a-search-for-answers-about-what-went-wrong/

[N1]

:rofl:
Their records will certainly show Short Hot Intervening Trouble for that day. Until the cause is fully known, I suppose Component Rearrangement by Alternative Programming cannot be ruled out.

[PeterEde]

Looked pretty obvious to me the main engines shutdown. What ever the cause. Looked to struggle to get going I thought