Antares Rocket Explosion Initiated By Self-Destruct Order

Time ^ | 10-31-2014 | Denver Nicks

[cynwoody]

Cessna pilot Ed Sealing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zarWT7H9t54

[cynwoody]

Orbital uses, or attempts to use, Russian engines that have been in storage in Siberia for 50 years.

Touring an old, abandoned Soviet rocket factory (NPO Energomash):

https://www.google.com/search?q=lana+sator+energomash&safe=off&espv=2&biw=1083&bih=1505&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X

[AceMineral]

I heard on the news an hour or so after it happened that the RSO had pushed the Red Button. That was the only mention I heard or read until now.

[Vince Ferrer]

Journalists have no ability to describe anything technical. Pushing a destruct button didn’t cause the problem. It was the last in a series of actions taken, some automatically, to avert disaster once the problem with the engine developed. It was kind of a useless action though, as whether the destruct command is sent or not, the rocket is not far from the pad, and will send debris and burning fuel all over the lauch area.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

Do they normally detonate over a launch pad?

We had a string of bad luck back using Navy Vanguard Rockets in the early days of the "race into space", not so much now...

"To counter this unexpected Soviet achievement, which was followed by their launch of Sputnik 2 on Nov. 3, 1957, a bold decision was made to attempt a satellite launch aboard
the next available Vanguard rocket, a "Test Vehicle" called TV-3. This launch would occur prior to the conclusion of the test series originally intended to prove the worth of the
Vanguard rocket. Vanguard TV-3 exploded on Launch Pad 18A before the eyes of the world on Dec. 6, 1957. The first American attempt to launch a satellite had failed dramatically."

I think the Vanguard first stage made it to three feet before it all came crashing down leaving the orbital package pathetically beeping from the concrete surface of the launch pad after the fire was extinguished.

The project was then handed off to Von Braun and the Army missile people. They succeeded on their first shot in an embarrassingly (for the Navy) short time.

Regards,
GtG

[Cen-Tejas]

Thanks! Very interesting!

[Henry Hnyellar]

It was announced that night or the next day.

[Cen-Tejas]

Thanks for the link. To me, it suggests our military-industrial complex has been very effective over preceding decades in scaring the American people into funding billions for weapons programs.

[cynwoody]

You might enjoy John Batchelor's recent interview of Evan Thomas on his book Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World.

[Cen-Tejas]

I will google it and read the summaries. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Cen-Tejas]

...........I’ve listened to 23 minutes of the 39 minute interview and you are exactly correct I am enjoying it. Last REAL man in the Whitehouse besides Double RR.

There was a time I would have said George H.W. was but he shot himself in the head as far as I am concerned when he lied to the American people about “read my lips”.

W!?.......I could write a book about so I will spare you.

But, wasn’t ole Ike a “steady as she goes” guy his whole life in everything he did. Wow!

[cynwoody]

As a retired five-star, Ike had a special knack for keeping the military industrial complex under control.

[Cen-Tejas]

I agree with you 100%. I still have about 17 minutes of his 39 minute interview with Don Hirsch to listen to. Intend to do so in the morning over coffee.