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Updated, 29 October, 7.16am
JUST SIX SECONDS after launch the NASA Antares rocket exploded in Virginia last night.
The rocket was unmanned and bringing supplies to the International Space Station. It was the third of such missions by Orbital Sciences.
Nobody was injured in the blast.
In a statement issued overnight, NASA described the incident as a “mishap”.
“While NASA is disappointed that Orbital Sciences’ third contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station was not successful today, we will continue to move forward toward the next attempt once we fully understand today’s mishap,” said William Gerstenmaier, one of the men in charge of human exploration and operations.
He added that the ISS crew is “in no danger of running out of food or other critical supplies”.
Orbital has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in its first two missions to the station earlier this year, and we know they can replicate that success. Launching rockets is an incredibly difficult undertaking, and we learn from each success and each setback. Today’s launch attempt will not deter us from our work to expand our already successful capability to launch cargo from American shores to the International Space Station.
The International Space Station tweeted this image of the wreckage on site shortly after the blast.
First published, 28 October, additional reporting by Sinéad O’Carroll
Guess ur man in the space station will be on a diet for Christmas!
Anomaly.
Apollo 14
Which man? There is more than one..
What a shame least no one was hurt.
He said that main engines were at 108%!!!!!!! Now if they don’t understand simple maths….need I say more!
That was never a problem for Scotty.
You’re right John! Dammit this isn’t brain surgery – its only rocket science!!
Hopefully not too much of a setback for the Anteres or private space companies in general.
Enginneers always, well at least the good ones rate systems below capacity for safety reasons.so at 100% it may be operating at 90% of its stress limits.This also helps stress the point more firmly that pushing it further is unsafe.
Most expensive firework ever.
Had it on live stream on me phone, dunno why but I just started snapping screen shots and BOOOM, spectacular explosions..unreal looking.
Hopefully Irish water go the same way
Not sure how your mind went from rocket ships to water… O.o
You can be sure about that
Christ…. give it a rest
Walk away…. Say f22k all when asked…
“Maintain your stations at your consoles” says the man
I’m sure one or two of them just want to sneak right on out alright………………….
LOL !
A little bit off topic here.
I was outside a few minutes age and saw an object entering the atmosphere. At first glance I thought it was a shooting star but then I realised it was travelling far too slow. Then, it seemed to break apart somewhere over south Galway/ north Clare.
Anyone know of any websites (non-conspiracy) where I could find a bit more info?
Astronomy Ireland on Facebook or Twitter and they will check it our for you
Cheers Dawn Keeballs.
Not being smart – but were you far away from the area you suspect – not looking for specifics but the sky can be very deceiving ..it might look like Galway/Clare might be Mayo though .
I suppose I’m not very sure. I was just giving an estimate. I’m in the general area but an object definitely broke up in the sky, in a pretty spectacular way, over the west of Ireland.
When saw it, I said to myself (out loud) “holy fu$%ing s&%t”. After which, I stepped in dog poo.
That’s what I hate about the bloody sky , you spend ages looking at it, catch the odd intergalatic missile crashing into a far-off star but when it comes to anything local then you miss it !
That’s why you would never see me getting into one of those things. I’ve enough problems here on earth without having the need to look at a piece of Barron land on the moon anyways.
NASA will be gutted. Don’t you think that they have had enough bad news for one day without you telling them that you won’t be joining them on their next trip to the moon?
Stephen you do realise that man hasn’t been to the moon in 30 years?
That’s what they want you to think!!! There’s a an orgy happening on the dark side of the moon.
Thanks Andrew for putting that strange thought in my head..
The ISS does not gawk at baron land on the moon, it’s not a telescope, it’s a space station.
There are all kinds of experiments done on board the ISS that:
1. Can help science here on earth
2. Will gather groundwork for long term exploration of space way down the future when theres a United Earth Govt and were landing people on mars (data on prolonged weightlessness etc etc)
Not to mention at a time when the cold war seems to be coming back ,it’s one of the few major examples of peaceful and productive global cooperation.
Yes Steven, that’s exactly why we wouldn’t see you boarding a NASA craft. Risk of explosion, that alone is the reason you’re not doing one of the most challenging and demanding, both physically and mentally, jobs known to man, and have opted instead to pontificate on online fora.
Yes Stephen, that’s exactly why we wouldn’t see you boarding a NASA craft. Risk of explosion, that alone is the reason you’re not doing one of the most challenging and demanding, both physically and mentally, jobs known to man, and have opted instead to pontificate on online fora.
Please Sean, we beg you to reconsider your position! What will NASA do without your superior intellect and inspiration? Mankind has just lost one of it’s brightest stars…
Lads…’Barren’. Please. ;)
Stephen, I agree we will probably never see you getting into an un-manned supply rocket.
They’re always tweeting videos and pics from the IST, I wonder if they caught that…
IST?
Yeah. International Space Tation.
“There has been a vehicle anomaly”
No 5hit sherlock!!
And they say man walked on the moon?? 45 years later they still can’t get a rocket 500m off the ground… Call me a skeptic if you like.
What are you talking about? Lots of rockets have been launched successfully.
I just find it ironic that none of the Apollo missions ever exploded that’s all.
On launch I mean.
How is that ironic? Are you Alanis Morisette?
Is it ironic that you can’t spell her name?
Well, the astronauts on the first Apollo mission died. The difference now is that we are more risk averse. There were fairly heavy casualties for the initial Soviet and US space programs. Read up on the Nedelin disaster.
A bit too early for Halloween.
Ground control to major bomb…
For once NASA weren’t big fans of the big bang
You never heard of challenger then?
Love it…”a vehicle anomaly”. Tell that to the garage next time the car goes in.
As the yank says, that was awesome
At least there was no one killed in this waste of tax payers money.
Hi Frank.
It’s a misconception that NASA has this enormous budget.
Ireland spends more just on it’s Social Welfare than the entire NASA budget. 1Trillion US dollars a year is spent on the millitary nearly all of it going to arms contractors, and in some amazing cases, even to buy things the millitary does not want. Case in point the F-35 with is a death trap, pilots hate it, and the Air Force begged Congress not to force them to build it, but the arms industry money went into the campaign coffers and the lobbyists were smart enough to split the planes construction up into a dozen states so they literaly forced them to take a plane they didn’t want and said was dangeriously flawed in design. That’s the real travesty not NASA, there have been countless benefits to science from NASA.
NASA also makes a lot of money, albeit often unintentionally and indirectly so not always easy to quantify. The innovation necessary in the evolution of NASA has resulted in huge numbers of offshoot consumer and industrial products that we would almost certainly not have developed if not for the goal of space exploration.
Looks like the US is off loading its F35′s on Israel 44 in total.
I have heard nothing but bad reports on them.
Readers comments LOL.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/10/28/383978/us-agrees-to-sell-israel-25-f35-jets/
Back to the Russians for help !
Russia has had more than its fair share of rocket explosions.
Why do you comment negatively on any post mentioning Russia Jason? Russia has the most advanced rocket propulsion technology in the world and has led the space race more times then not.
Great minds collide
Happens to me on Kerbal Space Program regularly
Ah Heuston We have a problem.
What is it? Leaves on the line again? It’s Houston…
Suppose Russia will have to send the food instead.
Who’s gonna clean up that lot then? That grass won’t grow back for weeks lads. Da place is feckin destroyed like!!
have your say