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not as easy as it looks

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Written by staff
Wednesday, 29 March 2006
>not as easy as it looks The inaugural launch of SpaceX’s Falcon-1 rocket on March 24 ended in rocket tragedy as the vehicle was lost shortly after takeoff. From SpaceX’s official statement: At T+25s, a fuel leak of currently unknown origin caused a fire around the top of the main engine that cut into the first stage helium pneumatic system. On high resolution imagery, the fire is clearly visible within seconds after liftoff. Once the pneumatic pressure decayed below a critical value, the spring return safety function of the pre-valves forced them closed, shutting down the main engine at T+29s. It does not appear as though the first stage insulation played a negative role, nor are any other vehicle anomalies apparent from either the telemetry or imaging. Falcon was executing perfectly on all fronts until fire impaired the first stage pneumatic system. SpaceX hopes to launch again within the next six months. >astronauts among us The Weekly Sentinel reports that a York man named Chris Cassidy has recently completed his training to be a shuttle astronaut. While Cassidy does not currently live in York, he did attend grade 5 through high school there, and still considers it his home. Unfortunately, the fate of the current class of astronauts is uncertain, as the shuttle program is slated for termination and it has been speculated that many of the currently trained astronauts will never fly.

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