Antares rocket explosion: The question of using decades-old Soviet engines

The Washington Post ^ | 10/29/14 | Terrence McCoy

[Moonman62]

Heck, SpaceX had a test rocket explode a few weeks ago using a modern engine. As you said, in the rocket business, an explosion happens eventually.

[G Larry]

These are different from the Russian RD-180’s currently used on Atlas.

[no-s]

Watching the video, my first impression was a turbo pump failure, maybe on the liquid oxygen.

LOX blowout somewhere, loss of thrust due to no chamber pressure, fall to pad, explosion of whatever was in the supply lines, venting and ignition of a tank somewhere...destruction of millions of $ of equipment.

SPACEX had a very similar-looking but more violent incident on an earlier launch (but later in flight) and still made the supply mission. Makes you go hmmmmmm.

[Cyman]

Incorrect packing of the load, just like in The Martian. Haste makes waste.

[freefdny]

Put it in H.

[Mister Da]

Perhaps NASA scientist & engineers are good at muslim outreach, but not so good at rocketry.

Obama ruins everything he touches.

[TalonDJ]

That was a great book.