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Antares rocket explodes on lifetoff
YouTube ^ | October 28, 2014 | Brad Panovich

Posted on 10/28/2014 4:41:34 PM PDT by CivilWarBrewing

The video says it all.


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: aerospace; antares; cygnus; explodes; iss; muslim; nasa; obama; orbitalsciences; rocket
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To: CivilWarBrewing

The Orbital Sciences Antares light-to-medium-lift launcher has two modified NK-33 in its first stage, a solid Castor 30-based second stage and an optional solid or hypergolic third stage.[16] The NK-33s are imported from Russia to the United States and modified into Aerojet AJ26s, which involves removing some electrical harnessing, adding U.S. electronics, qualifying it for U.S. propellants, and modifying the steering system.[1]

The Antares rocket was successfully launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on April 21, 2013. This marked the first successful launch of the NK-33 heritage engines built in early 1970s.[17]

Aerojet has agreed to recondition sufficient NK-33s to serve Orbital’s 16-flight NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Beyond that, it has a stockpile of 23 1960s and 1970s era engines. Kuznetsov no longer manufactures the engine, and the lack of a continuing supplier brings into question the long-term viability of Antares. To address this, Orbital has sought to buy RD-180 engines, but maker NPO Energomash’s contract with United Launch Alliance prevents this. Orbital has sued ULA for this, alleging anti-trust violations.[18] Aerojet has offered to work with Kuznetsov to restart production of new NK-33 engines, to assure Orbital of an ongoing supply.[19]

NK-33 and NK-43 are derived from the earlier NK-15 and NK-15V engines, respectively.

The engines are high-pressure, regeneratively cooled staged combustion cycle bipropellant rocket engines, and use oxygen-rich preburners to drive the turbopumps. The turbopumps require subcooled liquid oxygen (LOX) to cool the bearings. These kinds of burners are highly unusual, since their hot, oxygen-rich exhaust tends to attack metal, causing burn-through failures. The United States had not much investigated oxygen-rich combustion technologies until the Integrated Powerhead Demonstrator project in the early 2000s.[2] The Soviets, however, perfected the metallurgy behind this method. The nozzle was constructed from corrugated metal, brazed to an outer and inner lining, giving a simple, light, but strong structure. In addition, since the NK-33 uses subcooled LOX and kerosene, which have similar densities, a single rotating shaft could be used for both turbopumps.[3] Given its longer, heavier nozzle, the NK-43 ratio in vacuum is slightly heavier, with a thrust-to-weight ratio of about 120:1.[4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NK-33


21 posted on 10/28/2014 4:56:50 PM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both.)
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To: CivilWarBrewing

You guys realize that this wasn’t a NASA-assembled vehicle, right?


22 posted on 10/28/2014 4:57:12 PM PDT by altsehastiin
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To: raccoonradio
When the Challenger exploded in 86...

Under President Reagan's inspired leadership, NASA was the pride of the world for its achievements. But all of his good was undone by the DemonRAT-controlled House of Representatives run by the drunken idiot Tipsy O'Neill and wrongway Jim Wright. Had the GOP been in control of Congress, I doubt that the Challenger tragedy would have happened. DemonRATs dismantled the military, and then, as now, they undermined NASA.

23 posted on 10/28/2014 4:57:35 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP - that's what I like about Texas)
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To: CivilWarBrewing

I guess they should have stopped at 107% main engine thrust.


24 posted on 10/28/2014 5:00:19 PM PDT by Delta 21 (Patiently waiting for the jack booted kick at my door.)
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To: CivilWarBrewing

Antares maelstrom, Perdition’s flames.


25 posted on 10/28/2014 5:02:18 PM PDT by Charles Martel (Endeavor to persevere...)
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To: CivilWarBrewing

Russian engines...


26 posted on 10/28/2014 5:03:41 PM PDT by Axenolith (Government blows, and that which governs least, blows least...)
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To: KoRn

We sort of did. It was Russian engines.


27 posted on 10/28/2014 5:05:30 PM PDT by Ingtar (Is this the Ebola and rumors of Ebola mentioned in the Bible?)
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To: BenLurkin

Beyond that, it has a stockpile of 23 1960s and 1970s era engines.

...

So the engine that failed could be over 40 years old.


28 posted on 10/28/2014 5:05:56 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: altsehastiin

That’s irrelevant. This was NASA’s responsibility. Hire the RIGHT PEOPLE then.


29 posted on 10/28/2014 5:07:18 PM PDT by CivilWarBrewing
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To: Axenolith

Russian engines? Did Putin personally QC it before launch?


30 posted on 10/28/2014 5:08:03 PM PDT by CivilWarBrewing
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To: CivilWarBrewing
The increased size allows more propellant to be carried and as a result the rocket's payload capacity to low Earth orbit has been increased ....
31 posted on 10/28/2014 5:08:41 PM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: smokingfrog

Bigger boom boom?


32 posted on 10/28/2014 5:10:18 PM PDT by CivilWarBrewing
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To: re_nortex

The Shuttle was inherently risky because of its design, which was the result of the intent to use it militarily. Second, there was the failure of management which made the decision to launch in record cold weather for the Shuttle. And then there was the question of the pressure to launch because of the Teacher in Space program.


33 posted on 10/28/2014 5:11:23 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: altsehastiin

Don’t look for any sense here. This thread is almost as stupid as the CNN idiots making breathless commentary, augmented by nonsense from Leroy Chao and Mark Kelly, who both just proved they know hardly anything about rockets.

It’s a setback for the CRS program. It will probably also turn out to be an indictment of Aerojet for relying on the NK-33 variant they use called the AJ-26.

From the video looks like there was a combustion instability leading to an overpressure that umm...led to Boom. Almost certainly one of the AJ-26’s had a big hiccup.

Next time Aerojet might try designing their own stuff instead of refurbishing old Russian bent metal.


34 posted on 10/28/2014 5:13:56 PM PDT by Regulator
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To: CivilWarBrewing
The video shows a large and dark flame, larger than ought to be produced by the engines, right before the loss of thrust. I am not a rocket scientist, but it looks like the fuel tank ruptured and flooded the rocket with kerosene. Otherwise the fuel pumps would be simply unable to supply that much extra fuel. I'd blame the pumps, or the plumbing, if the engine cuts off. Extra fuel, however, has to come from somewhere, and not through those thin pipes that are just enough for normal operation of the engine.
35 posted on 10/28/2014 5:14:28 PM PDT by Greysard
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To: CivilWarBrewing

India has a space program — maybe we should outsource NASA to Mumbai?


36 posted on 10/28/2014 5:14:42 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Democrats have a lynch mob mentality. They always have.)
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To: Axenolith

“Russian engines...”

The NK-33s are imported from Russia to the United States and modified into Aerojet AJ26s, which involves removing some electrical harnessing, adding U.S. electronics, qualifying it for U.S. propellants, and modifying the steering system.

Americans fixed them and made them better............


37 posted on 10/28/2014 5:15:53 PM PDT by wrench (While not "airborne" at this moment, Ebola is a Snot-Borne virus)
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To: Moonman62
I think the Challenger disaster can be blamed on the DemonRATs. Recall that they opposed President Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI or Star Wars) at every turn and sought to discredit him at every turn, especially in the realms of technology and defense. That seven lives were lost meant nothing to them since human life means nothing to ‘RATs as evidenced by their pro-baby killing stance. For them, it's all about advancing their evil agenda regardless of the cost. And now, it's very clear that hussein and his ‘RAT pack are reducing NASA and the rest of American technological prowess to a third world status.
38 posted on 10/28/2014 5:29:22 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP - that's what I like about Texas)
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To: CivilWarBrewing

Firsttime I have ever seen a lifetoff. Thanks!


39 posted on 10/28/2014 5:34:32 PM PDT by frithguild (The warmth and goodness of Gaia is a nuclear reactor in the Earth's core that burns Thorium)
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To: CivilWarBrewing

LIFTOFF in upper case is a banned word in many school firewalls.


40 posted on 10/28/2014 5:37:49 PM PDT by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc OÂ’Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
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