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Vanguard TV3
Launching just two months after the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik in October 1957, it was now the Vanguard TV3 to make a big accomplishment happen. If the Vanguard program were to be successful in its mission, it would result in the first US satellite to reach Earth orbit. On the day of its launch, the Vanguard TV3 exploded at lift-off no thanks to a pressurization problem with the fuel system. It wasn’t until in February 1958, they managed to place a successful satellite up there. -
Apollo 6
This was the last unmanned test for the Saturn V rocket before it would carry a crew of three around the moon and back. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side this time. Two minutes and 5 seconds into the launch, changing fuel rates caused the rocket to be shaken by variations in thrust. Parts flew off the lunar module adapter, and two engines of the five shut down impulsively during the second-degree burn. The Apollo 6 did somehow manage to make it to space, but not its designed destination. -
Titan 34D-9 (KH9-20)
Not only did this failure result in a destroyed Space Shuttle Challenger, but aboard the rocket was the final billion-dollar KH09 HEXAGON reconnaissance satellite. The liquid-fueled engine of the rocket ran on hypergolic propellants, which are storable, but extremely poisonous. Because of this, the cleanup and recovery efforts were slowed down. Altogether, the Titan 34D-9 failure is thought to be one of the most expensive launch failures in U.S. history. -
Delta 178 (GOES-G)
NASA’s attempt to place a new weather satellite into the orbit after the Titan 34D-9’s failure, also met the same fate when 71 seconds into the launch an electrical problem triggered a premature shutdown of one of the rocket’s center liquid engines. 1986 is just not the year to launch these technical rocket ships. Haven’t you learned your lesson, NASA? -
Delta II D241 (GPS IIR-1)
This Delta 7925 rocket carried with it the first of a new upgraded series of GPS satellites. It was going all right for the first 17 seconds after the launch, but then the rocket exploded during mid-flight. People believed that one of the motors had a 17-inch crack that quickly spread along the motor’s casing, causing a massive structural failure in the booster. The flaming debris ended up giving a heavy blow on the Canaveral Air Force Station. Luckily, no one was hurt injured by the debris. -
Titan IV 4A-20 (NROL 7 Mercury)
During the launch of the Titan IV-A (series of aircrafts), the last of the launch vehicles ended up exploding. The heavy lift aircraft carried an expensive National Reconnaissance Office SIGINT satellite. The explosion was caused by a short that reset the launch vehicle’s circuit system. One of the SRBs (Solid Rocket Boosters) tore loose and self-destructed; finally destroying the main aircraft. Looks like the NRO is just one satellite short. -
Columbia
During the launch, the left wing of the Columbia shuttle managed to get damaged, later causing the shuttle to break apart. Investigators determine that during liftoff, the wing was gashed by fuel-tank foam insulation, allowing fiery gases to penetrate the shuttle. The Columbia shuttle broke apart in the skies of Texas during re-entry; killing seven astronauts and raining debris on top of Texas and Louisiana. -
Cygnus CRS-3
The Cygnus CRS-3 was one of the cargo resupply vessels that delivered equipment and food to the ISS (International Space Station). By October 24 of 2014, it was all ready to go. Unfortunately, things weren’t meant to be. Just a few seconds after its launch, the Antares of the vessel exploded. Orbital mangers note that a failure in the turbo pump on one of the Antares’ AJ-26 engines is the main reason the craft exploded. I mean, as they say, “Failure leads to success.” -
SpaceX Falcon 9
Two days before its launch, this SpaceX rocket had a talk with fate and exploded during a fueling operation in preparation for a static-fire test. If you want to be technical, I admit this isn’t a failed launch, but more so an unsuccessful pre-launch. I decided to put this in here anyway, since if it were to be launched, it would’ve met the same results as the ones on this day. Pre-launch accidents are usually quite rare, so you won’t be seeing a back-story like this one in a while! -
Progress 65 Freighter
The Progress 65 is one out of four resupply vessels that fly to the ISS without use of crew members. On the day of its launch, things didn’t go as planned. It was around 6 minutes into the flight when things started going downhill. Russian mission controllers stopped receiving telemetry from the space vessel and radar stations weren’t able pick up on it’s planned orbit. It has not yet confirmed, but they say it had something to do with the Soyuz’s third stage. -
Bibliography
http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/07/rockets-red-glare-five-spectacular-but-harmless-us-space-launch-failures/
http://www.abbreviations.com/SRB
http://www.space.com/34875-russian-space-cargo-ship-destroyed-in-failed-launch.html
http://www.timetoast.com/
http://www.space.com/34875-russian-space-cargo-ship-destroyed-in-failed-launch.html
http://spaceflight101.com/spacecraft/cygnus/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL5eddt-iAohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL5eddt-iAo -
Bibliography (Extended)
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/11/post-mortem-for-crs-3-antares-turbopump/
http://spacenews.com/analysis-how-spacexs-spectacular-pre-flight-failure-fueled-a-jump-in-hasty-conclusions/
https://www.wired.com/2009/02/launchfailures/
https://pixlr.com/editor/
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1268/1
http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space/article/2008-09/flopnik-it-came
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Delta_II_7925-9.5_launches_with_GPS_IIR-15.jpg -
Bibliography (More Extended)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_6
http://www.spacex.com/media
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/11194485/Five-worst-accidents-in-Nasas-history.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia
http://www.embracelifecoachingandfitness.com/how-to-refocus-and-go-for-the-goal-when-youve-failed-publicly-repeatedly/ Completed on January 10, 2017
