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sriramk

Ignition aborted, launch failed. Sigh.

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I heard one of them say that the computer saw an engine parameter it "didn't like." :(

Next launch opportunity, May 22 at 12:44:34 AM PST

Here's a video of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AevYDCAE1xc

Edit: Elon Musk tweeted "Launch aborted: slightly high combustion chamber pressure on engine 5. Will adjust limits for countdown in a few days"

Moments after the abort, I heard one of the techs say it was triggered by an "engine 5 chamber pressure high" reading.

Next launch window Tuesday, May 22. They seem to have a good process for handling the failure though, which is probably more important than how they handle success (although less exciting for viewers).

Correct

The main objective of SpaceX is reliability

Have to say they gave a very good presentation about that today

Next window is Tuesday, so not too long. I was really impressed that they were able to abort nearly 5 seconds after ignition.

Yeah, the NASA people on twitter seemed impressed by that too. It's a good safety feature, no matter what the glitch turns out to be.

They are designed to be held down on the launch pad operating at full power for up to 20 seconds (looking for source) before being released so that they can verify all systems are operating correctly before it is in the air.

Is this the first time a rocket has been aborted after ignition and for it to have not blown up?

No. Mercury-Redstone 1 had a launch failure after ignition and launch:

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O4V7JfeTSU

Description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_1#Causes_of_th...

No, SpaceX themselves have done it several times, and I'm about 90% sure there's prior precedent as well. It's a theoretical capability of any liquid-fueled rocket, assuming an adequate hold-down system.

Edit: Looks like Ariane 5 has similar systems on its main engine, but it also uses solid rocket boosters, which can't be shut down once started. http://www.space.com/11264-rocket-launch-aborts-engine-malfu...

Wonder what happened. At least they saved the vessel.

That's one major advantage of a liquid fueled vehicle. Try shutting off an SRB after it's lit...

That's why I was hoping the hybrid engine Scaled Composites used for the X-prize would work out - it gives you the best of both worlds. Haven't heard much about that lately.

All you need is a faulty O-ring.

Sounds like it had to do with the computers. Damn shame.

Edit: My mistake, the computers detected an engine parameter that was out of bounds. See you guys early Tuesday morning for round 2.

They said it happened again on Falcon 2 and 9. Hope they will be ready for May 22nd, next window.

Good nite, HN!

"Engine 5 shutdown: chamber pressure high" was the reason given on the web cast.

Better luck Tuesday.

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