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Anyone catch that rocket explosion??? We went outside to watch it way up in the sky and were watching the video feed live while we waited. That was a bigger let down than the Matador's Fantasy Football team or the last three Star Wars movies!!!
Anyway that probably blew scrap into the neighboring states!! Video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHMmMgdcOSU
Yeah, so I am thinking that any scrap that survived is in a large blob on what used to be the launch pad...
:-o
I just hope no one was hurt. I know it was a rocket, but there might have been people on the ground
I listened to the live broadcast and much like the shuttle missions they clear everyone out to a 1-3 mile radius with the exception of a (for the shuttle missions) emergency rescue crews who are underground in a hardened bunker As of last report, no reported injuries but LOTS of damage to ground assets.
Orbital Sciences sure screwed up big time!
This is what happens when you use stockpiled Cold War-era engines bought second hand from the Russians :/
At least they’re not the only player in the game and the Russians launched a scheduled resupply mission this morning. I’ll bet Elon Musk is grinning from ear to ear today because SpaceX is looking reallllllll good right now.
And hey, I’ll bet the Dream Chaser guys are kinda pointing at their no-contract winning (and actually pretty great design IMO) spaceplane and saying “uh, ours never blew up on the launch pad, bee tee dubs”
Using Russian engines...then have to be backed up with Russian cargo ship, not to mention the only way to get astronauts up or down is with Russian ship. WTF -- over.
"Houston, we have a problem”Quote:
Originally Posted by KzScrapper
Using the old Russian engines was a cost-saving measure on the part of Orbital Sciences. Obviously, may not have been the best move. They also have no manned spacecraft capability.
Say what you will about the Russian Progress craft…they work and they work well. And even the Russians don’t use the engines that Orbital Sciences purchased.
The Orion spacecraft is scheduled to have its first (unmanned) test flight in December. Moving in the right direction, although slowly.
Now, the most exciting part of this whole situation is SpaceX. They’ve already shown they can not only resupply the ISS with unmanned vehicles but also deliver payloads to geosynchronous orbit. That is a BIG deal for a private company. And unlike Orbital Sciences, they don’t use hardware that was basically pulled out of a scrap pile. Plus, manned Dragon capsule flights could be happening in less than two years. If a company like SpaceX can handle ferry missions to LEO, than NASA can focus on something long forgotten…exploration!