╌>

Spaceflight Now: Investigation into Zuma failure reportedly lays blame on Northrop Grumman

  

Category:  Health, Science & Technology

Via:  tfargo  •  6 years ago  •  8 comments

Spaceflight Now: Investigation into Zuma failure reportedly lays blame on Northrop Grumman

  Article from Spaceflightnow.com : https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/09/investigation-into-zuma-failure-reportedly-lays-blame-on-northrop-grumman/

Zuma liftoff.jpg

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Jan. 7 from Cape Canaveral with the Zuma mission. Credit: SpaceX


  Government investigators have exonerated SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in the loss of a top secret space mission known as Zuma in January, blaming a malfunction in a component modified by Northrop Grumman that connected the launcher with its classified   payload, according to the Wall Street Journal.

  Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that two teams of government and industry investigators have concluded that a payload adapter — a structure used to attach a satellite to its rocket booster — failed to function correctly after an otherwise successful launch from Cape Canaveral on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Jan. 7.



Tags

jrDiscussion - desc
[]
 
T.Fargo
Freshman Silent
1  seeder  T.Fargo    6 years ago

  This is what happens when you modify a subcontracted part.  The part was engineered to be what it was, not engineered to be re-engineered.

 
 
 
Spikegary
Junior Quiet
1.1  Spikegary  replied to  T.Fargo @1    6 years ago

I have friends in the Booster building business (Moog, to be specific) and they do not, ever, modify any part without the specific concurrence of the customer.

 
 
 
Split Personality
Professor Guide
1.2  Split Personality  replied to  T.Fargo @1    6 years ago

So what happened to the payload?

Floating somewhere in space ?

or did it come back with the three reusable sections?

or was that the reusable center section that missed the barge ?

 
 
 
Split Personality
Professor Guide
1.2.1  Split Personality  replied to  Split Personality @1.2    6 years ago

Am I confusing Spacex Falcon 9 with Spacex Heavy?

 
 
 
T.Fargo
Freshman Silent
1.2.2  seeder  T.Fargo  replied to  Split Personality @1.2    6 years ago
So what happened to the payload?

  The Zuma payload burned up upon scheduled forced re-entry burn and crashed into the Indian Ocean.

or did it come back with the three reusable sections?

  That was 2/3's of the Falcon heavy Falcon 9 boosters after launching the Starman and Tesla payload.  They were attempting a single engine higher speed re-entry landing (normally a 3 engine burn) for the center booster, but it ran out of propellant and missed the drone ship hitting the ocean at about 300 MPH.  The other 2 boosters landed perfectly at LZ1 and LZ2 at KSC.

 
 
 
Split Personality
Professor Guide
1.2.3  Split Personality  replied to  T.Fargo @1.2.2    6 years ago

I saw the first 2 land simultaneously, live,  and couldn't help but make the comparison to how much it reminded me of Flash Gordon 'animations' of similar "landings" from the

imaginations of writers from the 50's

 
 
 
T.Fargo
Freshman Silent
1.2.4  seeder  T.Fargo  replied to  Split Personality @1.2.3    6 years ago

  Exactly what I thought.  It reminded me of cartoon ships landing and Marvin the Martian stepping out.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Expert
2  Perrie Halpern R.A.    6 years ago

My dad used to work for Grumman. Back in the day, they made all their own parts. I think this is what happens when a company repurposes another company.. but then again, who knows. 

 
 

Who is online






Sparty On
Thomas


489 visitors