Atlas V Falters

Looks like Delta IV and Atlas V are in a dead-heat again. Atlas V
dumped its NRO payload in a lower than planned orbit today after the
Centaur crapped out.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av009/status.html

Brian

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:12:45 GMT, in a place far, far away, Brian
Thorn made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

Looks like Delta IV and Atlas V are in a dead-heat again. Atlas V
dumped its NRO payload in a lower than planned orbit today after the
Centaur crapped out.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av009/status.html

Is that an Atlas problem, or a Centaur problem?

h (Rand Simberg) wrote in
:

Is that an Atlas problem, or a Centaur problem?

Since the two stages are necessarily an inseparable launch
system, it's an Atlas problem, in the second stage. Too bad, as
it snapped an impressive string of successes. Maybe should
be scored as a partial failure. I'd be interested in knowing
the specifics of the premature shutdown.

--Damon

On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 21:24:41 -0500, in a place far, far away, Damon
Hill made the phosphor on my monitor glow
in such a way as to indicate that:

(Rand Simberg) wrote in
:

Is that an Atlas problem, or a Centaur problem?

Since the two stages are necessarily an inseparable launch
system, it's an Atlas problem, in the second stage.

I disagree, since the same stage has been used on other launchers.

In article ,
Damon Hill wrote:

h (Rand Simberg) wrote in
:

Is that an Atlas problem, or a Centaur problem?

Since the two stages are necessarily an inseparable launch
system, it's an Atlas problem, in the second stage. Too bad, as
it snapped an impressive string of successes. Maybe should
be scored as a partial failure. I'd be interested in knowing
the specifics of the premature shutdown.

--Damon

It would be scored as a Centaur problem, assuming that it was not due to
a staging interface.

h (Rand Simberg) wrote in
:

On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 21:24:41 -0500, in a place far, far away, Damon
Hill made the phosphor on my monitor glow
in such a way as to indicate that:

(Rand Simberg) wrote in
:

Is that an Atlas problem, or a Centaur problem?

Since the two stages are necessarily an inseparable launch
system, it's an Atlas problem, in the second stage.

I disagree, since the same stage has been used on other launchers.

Yes, but this still a system since Atlas V currently has no
other upper stage. It succeeds or fails as a system.

--Damon

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:54:48 GMT, h (Rand
Simberg) wrote:

Looks like Delta IV and Atlas V are in a dead-heat again. Atlas V
dumped its NRO payload in a lower than planned orbit today after the
Centaur crapped out.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av009/status.html

Is that an Atlas problem, or a Centaur problem?

A Centaur problem, but LockMart has been trumpeting its string of
successes going back to... a Centaur failure in 1993.

On Jun 15, 10:17 pm, Damon Hill wrote:
(Rand Simberg) wrote :

On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 21:24:41 -0500, in a place far, far away, Damon
Hill made the phosphor on my monitor glow
in such a way as to indicate that:

(Rand Simberg) wrote in
:

Is that an Atlas problem, or a Centaur problem?

Since the two stages are necessarily an inseparable launch
system, it's an Atlas problem, in the second stage.

I disagree, since the same stage has been used on other launchers.

Yes, but this still a system since Atlas V currently has no
other upper stage. It succeeds or fails as a system.

This whole thing sounds like nit picking. How much trouble can it get
in a one minute burn? Without any details, they're just blowing smoke.

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 03:27:10 GMT, in a place far, far away, Brian
Thorn made the phosphor on my monitor glow in
such a way as to indicate that:

On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:54:48 GMT, h (Rand
Simberg) wrote:

Looks like Delta IV and Atlas V are in a dead-heat again. Atlas V
dumped its NRO payload in a lower than planned orbit today after the
Centaur crapped out.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av009/status.html

Is that an Atlas problem, or a Centaur problem?

A Centaur problem, but LockMart has been trumpeting its string of
successes going back to... a Centaur failure in 1993.

[Slight switch of subject]

If I were doing a reliability calculation for the purpose of
determining a need for a launch abort system (at least the one they
are building for Orion), I wouldn't count either failure against it.
The LAS is designed to get away from an exploding upper stage, which
has never happened with a modern LOX/hydrogen system, AFAIK. So I
continue to think that the notion of "human rating" an Atlas is a red
herring.

On Jun 15, 8:12 pm, Brian Thorn wrote:

Looks like Delta IV and Atlas V are in a dead-heat again. Atlas V
dumped its NRO payload in a lower than planned orbit today after the
Centaur crapped out.

Initial observations of what seem to be the Centaur venting fuel over
Iran and the payloads over Texas suggest that the shortfall wasn't
very great. More data will tell the tale.