Posted on 04/16/2012 7:25:22 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Experts Ponder Cause of N.Korean Rocket Failure
North Korea's rocket exploded two minutes and 15 seconds after launch, disintegrated into some 20 fragments and fell into the West Sea. The North unusually admitted the failure. Rocket experts attribute it to a problem with the first-stage booster, failed separation of boosters or a rushed launch schedule.
◆ Booster Problems
The first-stage booster exploded into about 20 fragments scattered over waters west of Taean far away from the point west of the Byeonsan Peninsula where the regime had predicted they would land.
About 56 percent of launch failures are caused by a problem with the first stage. The explosion is believed to have been caused by a fuel leak from a propellant engine or a turbopump malfunction rather than booster separation. Yoon Woong-sup, a professor of mechanical engineering at Yonsei University, said, "If a problem occurs during the booster separation process, there is low possibility that the first-stage booster will explode because its fuel is already spent."
But Cho Kwang-rae, the head of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's satellite launch project, said, "Nobody can rule out that a problem occurred during the separation of the first-stage booster."
Considering that another rocket failed to place a satellite into orbit due to insufficient liftoff thrust in 2009, the North may have overcompensated and increased the engine's liftoff thrust too much this time. Or the rocket may have been exploded by remote control, or an automatic explosion trigger was activated when the rocket veered off course, other experts speculate.
◆ Rushed Launch
Still others speculate that the accident occurred because the North rushed the launch to coincide with the centenary of nation founder Kim Il-sung. It is unclear why the regime launched the rocket from a fog-shrouded launch pad on Friday morning, a day earlier than experts had predicted.
"Given the insufficient preparations at the Tongchang-ri launch pad, we got the impression that the North was in a hurry," a South Korean government official said. "The regime may have been negligent in the final checkup" because other pressing centenary events lay ahead over the coming days.
◆ No Progress
In April 2009, the rocket failed to enter orbit, but the second- and third-stage boosters separated successfully. But this time, even the first-stage booster failed to separate and exploded in midair. The North has so far failed four times to launch long-range missiles or rockets since the first one in 1998.
A South Korean military source said, "Even in some advanced countries, rockets have exploded on their launch pads. That doesn't mean the North's missile technology has regressed."
"It's true that the North's long-range rockets still lag far behind those in the West in terms of appearance, but it seems that the technology has gradually improved since 1998," a rocket expert said.
P!
I send the Koreans Greetings and Remember: Spit in the sky, come back in your eye. Bye, bye!!
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2012/04/16/2012041601282.html
Foreign Correspondents Kept in Dark Over Rocket Launch
Some 70 foreign journalists who went to North Korea between April 6 and 7 in the hope of witnessing the scheduled rocket launch left disappointed and were not even at the launch site on Friday morning. News of the failed launch reached South Korea at 8:25 a.m., but the reporters in Pyongyang were left in ignorance.
The regime pretended that it knew nothing when the journalists complained and told them to report to the Yanggakdo Hotel, where it would make an official announcement before 9 a.m. But they were offered no explanation. The official [North] Korean Central News Agency reported the failure at 12:03 p.m., and the press conference was finally held at 1:40 p.m.
The reporters had to settle for the unveiling of gigantic statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in Mansudae at 6 p.m. on Friday.
Dear Leader touts missile launch as a smashing success.
Perhaps they self-destructed it.
With threats from Japan to shoot it down, and threats against it’s violating other countries airspace maybe they dedcided to show their arrogance by firing it ,but thought better about allowing it to force them into a more dangerous confrontation.
The US has an experimental High Energy Laser platform based on a 747. I wonder if it might have been cruising in the area. It has been used to cause exactly this type of failure. It’s unlikely that anyone would have noticed it up there.
Cause of failure? It exproded.
"This does not honor my memory!"
Simple they are inferior to us. Not that we did not have many failures but being superior we have advanced much further and much quicker that these, Oh so easy to be offended, central planners. Like China, if they cannot steal the technology, they would be another 20+ years behind the times. But they would be offended if anyone said that. TFB.
Which brings up a point: Did you ever notice that what ever group we may be discussing, those who are easy to offend are also inferior and are not advancing at the same rate as the rest of civilization. Mudslimes come to mind immediately.
The guy holding the first and second stages together let go tooooo early ?
My thoughts exactly! Of course after Hussein, The Traitor, "shares" our technology with his bud Vlad and the russkies, the NORKS will soon know how to counter any of our defenses.
Congrats DARPA!
Or maybe an accidental collision with an SM3? Or a laser?
Airborne Lasers will do that!
made in china
Under a BUsh or Reagan that might have happened...but sadly, not really possible or probable under this Administration.
But we do have the capability.
The Man Who Despises America
http://www.jeffhead.com/obama-time.htm
America at the Crossroads of History
http://www.jeffhead.com/crossroads.htm
I guess they rushed it, to keep from losing face, the foreign press there made additional pressure. My guess? Next time, they will invite no foreign press observers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.