THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 31, 1995 TAG: 9510310294
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
In-flight destruction of a Conestoga rocket a week ago Monday didn't go quite as planned. Officials from NASA and rocket manufacturer EER Systems said Monday that two of the vehicle's seven solid-fuel boosters weren't torn apart in response to radio commands transmitted from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.
The finding, verified by video, is troubling because of the public-safety issues raised. Destructive devices exist to prevent errant rockets from veering toward land and hitting population centers.
``This could raise problems for the whole launch industry,'' said H. Ray Stanley, a senior NASA Wallops official. ``Don't build too much on this, though. It just needs to be resolved and put to bed. If it's localized to this vehicle it must be fixed before it (the Conestoga) flies again.''
Monday, Navy divers were searching the Atlantic off the Virginia coast for one of two intact rocket casings, which could offer a definitive answer to why the radioed commands didn't destroy all seven boosters.
This latest difficulty raises questions about the pace and viability of EER's commercial space launch business. Jim Hengle, an EER vice president, insisted his firm is still in the running, and would like to plan another Conestoga flight for the fall of 1997.
``We're in the launch business. We've put a lot of our hearts and dollars in,'' he said. ``This (safety issue) doesn't set us back. We're about to get one of the motors back. We'll know what happened.''
Late last week, Hengle said, the company determined that an on-board navigation device in the Conestoga's nose cone picked up what he described as ``noise,'' or nonsense signals.
The errant signals, the origin of which is still unknown, then caused the Conestoga's flight computer to pivot the rocket's steering nozzles in an attempt to stay on course.
Trouble was, the rocket wasn't off course. And for 45 seconds it remained exactly on course.
But the nozzles still pivoted excessively, rapidly using up a limited amount of hydraulic fluid that enabled the nozzles to move in the first place.
In short order, the nozzles froze in place, and the Conestoga began to drift to the right. Shortly thereafter, entering a realm of severe aerodynamic pressure, the craft's front end began to crumple.
Within milliseconds, on-board destruct systems were activated and separated each of the solid rockets. Commands were then radioed from the Wallops control center to tear a gash in the side of each booster to rapidly dissipate thrust.
Two of the boosters continued to fire, however. As spectators watched, they corkscrewed into the Atlantic 14 miles offshore.
``When we destruct these things, we expect them to fall off into the ocean,'' Stanley said. ``That didn't happen. It's a problem.''
It's a problem EER's Hengle promises will be solved. Although neither he nor Stanley would speculate as to the cause of the destruct failure, both said a team of investigators, most from NASA, has been convened to pinpoint the defect.
``I don't think we can put a timetable on it,'' Stanley said. ``It's almost impossible to predict. We're hoping within a month.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two boosters failed to destruct and corkscrewed into the Atlantic.
by CNB