Despite Ostapenko saying that there shouldn't be any debris falling from the sky
Where else should it go? Is he personally going to send it back into space with a trampoline?
Despite Ostapenko saying that there shouldn't be any debris falling from the sky
Wait, what? It wasn't a U.S. satellite.
Where else should it go? Is he personally going to send it back into space with a trampoline?
It was built by a French company using US built parts, hence regulated by ITAR.
Well, ITAR went out the window. This is just another Intelsat 708 (with a little less drama)...
To sum up the Proton at this point: somewhat reliable rocket that uses toxic propellants...and will fail catastrophically whenever given the opportunity (like other rockets). Unfortunate that it HAS a lot more opportunities to do so than other rockets... :lol:
What is the Proton failure rate since 2010, and overall?
What is the Proton failure rate since 2010, and overall?
Bob Clark
Investigation committee chairman Alexander Danyluk reported today that the outlet pressure of the gas generator turbine of the 3rd stage's vernier engine (single pump, four chambers) has gradually dropped "by 15 times" before failing completely. He also excluded probable errors in the control system as a probable cause, saying that it worked nominally.
Hope it's not the "engine pipelines clogged by foreign particles" demon again........
Here's a full description of the Proton's 2nd and 3rd stage engines (alas, in Russian): http://www.lpre.de/kbkha/RD-0203/index.htm
...and a graph showing the components of the RD-0214 vernier engine:
Had the Briz-M been jettisoned as soon as the emergency was detected, couldn't it have made orbit on its own, and completed most of the mission?
Not at all - not enough thrust for that phase.
Hope it's not the "engine pipelines clogged by foreign particles" demon again........
Yup. Try Thorton's excellent "Proton LV" addon.
I did, that's what gave me the idea. The orbital insertion needs to be finished with the Briz-M. Note the 4:30 long burn listed on page one of this thread about a minute after 3rd stage cut off.
The 3rd stage only had 40 seconds left. Perhaps it would have been possible for Briz-M to pitch way up and claw its way into orbit. Though if the satellite did not have the delta-V to put itself into a useful orbit thereafter, it would be futile anyway.