Article

2018-01-30 Science & Technology

The incredible failure of ArianeGroup at the launch of Ariane 5 (VA241)

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Posted by 3dc 2018-01-30 05:45|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top
File under: Moslem Colonists

#1 Same problem the russkies just had, though in their case the launcher had been mis-programmed for launch from the wrong location. Same unfortunate result.

Posted by M. Murcek 2018-01-30 06:32|| 2018-01-30 06:32|| Front Page Top

#2 Hacked?

...HANLON'S RAZOR: "Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity." Don't forget that NASA drove a probe right into Mars because they forgot to convert standard/metric numbers.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2018-01-30 12:17|| 2018-01-30 12:17|| Front Page Top

#3 Remember the Mars Climate Observer? ...spacecraft was lost as the spacecraft went into orbital insertion, due to ground-based computer software which produced output in non-SI units of pound (force)-seconds (lbf·s) instead of the SI units of newton-seconds (N·s) specified in the contract...

Posted by magpie 2018-01-30 12:20|| 2018-01-30 12:20|| Front Page Top

#4 From Magpie's lead:

a systematic problem in the space community of insufficient attention to detail

Posted by Skidmark 2018-01-30 14:35|| 2018-01-30 14:35|| Front Page Top

#5 the telemetry antennas were not looking for the launcher where it was but where it should be.

What range idiots program tracking antennas?
That's the point of driving antenna grids with Kalman filtering.

Posted by Skidmark 2018-01-30 14:39|| 2018-01-30 14:39|| Front Page Top

#6 Feet? Feet? What do you mean - those numbers are in furlongs!

Posted by KBK 2018-01-30 15:26|| 2018-01-30 15:26|| Front Page Top

#7 a systematic problem in the space community of insufficient attention to detail

Yeah, OK. But we do have programs focused on diversity, inclusion, Muslim outreach and the LGBTQWERTY community.

Posted by SteveS 2018-01-30 15:33|| 2018-01-30 15:33|| Front Page Top

#8 Some of these problems can be subtle.
IIRC, the March 2000 V-22 Osprey Crash brought to light a jargon difference between the services. The USAF helicopter pilot who wrote the section on Vortex Ring State(VRS) understood that (VRS) means you have LOST lift. In the USMC/Navy aviators parlance it means you are losing lift.

Posted by magpie 2018-01-30 17:07|| 2018-01-30 17:07|| Front Page Top

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