CANADA: A rocket’s dead, blown to bits in public view. Now it’s time for “Rocket Science CSI”.
After 18 straight successful launches, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket broke apart on Sunday morning minutes after soaring away from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Lost with the rocket was a capsule packed with supplies for the crew on the International Space Station.
In this whodunnit, there are clues pointing to pressure problems in the second stage’s liquid oxygen tank, SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted within hours. But that may be a red herring, and a former NASA shuttle chief warns against jumping to conclusions.
“First impressions never are right,” said Wayne Hale, who is on the board investigating last year’s launch pad failure of Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket, also carrying station cargo for NASA.
Russia also lost a supply shipment in April when its Progress capsule spun out of control.
The SpaceX investigation will be a lot like the crime dramas you see on television, complete with forensics examination of debris. Except it’s not over in an hour. Most mishap investigations take about a year, Hale said. Eight months later, Orbital’s investigation isn’t done yet.
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