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Department of the Air Force Report, 1996

U.S. Department of War · 1996-09-10 · 181 pages · text from the file's own layer

This final report, dated September 10, 1996, was prepared by the Research Triangle Institute for the Department of the Air Force's 45th and 30th Space Wing safety offices. Titled Modeling Unlikely Space-Booster Failures in Risk Calculations, it shows how rare Mode-5 failures, in which a rocket veers well off its intended flight line, are modeled in the DAMP risk-analysis program. An appendix lists Atlas, Delta, Titan and Thor launch and failure histories through August 1996.

From the source:Release of 2026-05-08 Incident: 9/10/96, N/A. This report describes the Modeling of Unlikely Space-Booster Failures in Risk Calculations, documenting historical launch failure modes and recommending corrective actions to address them using novel modelling techniques.

  • p. 88 …Vehicle loses control at or shortly after liftoff, with all flight directions equally likely. Destruct is…
  • p. 106 …121 (8) Missiles/Space Vehicle Files, 45th Space Wing, Wing Safety, Mission Flight Control and Analysis…
  • p. 111 …Such behavior did not necessarily prevent the attainment of some, or even all, mission objectives. 50…
  • p. 131 …Due to excess speed, spacecraft passed 22,000 miles in front of moon, and primary mission…
  • p. 132 …Although Atlas performance was satisfactory, the mission was apparently a failure. No other data available. 134…
  • p. 133 …A flight-control malfunction occurred at about 15 seconds at the start of the pitch program…
  • p. 137 …Vehicle became unstable when B2 pitch control was lost at 121 seconds. Loss of pitch control…
  • p. 138 …The missile then lost attitude control, executing a hard yaw rate tum throughout and beyond the…
  • p. 139 …of the rate gyro or an electrical failure in the pitch channel of the flight control…
  • p. 140 caused yaw and roll rates that the flight control system could not correct. As a result…
  • p. 151 …Attitude control lost during second stage coast period. Third stage spun up, but did not fire…
  • p. 153 …One solid-rocket motor carried to MECO, but mission was still a complete success. 102. SMS…
  • p. 169 …Missile tumbled out of control at 130 seconds, then broke up. 104. IHA (65-210), 1…
  • p. 170 …Nominal mission through transtage second burn shutdown. Attitude control system engine failed to shutdown following vernier…
  • p. 171 …However, satellite propulsion system malfunctioned putting satellite in uncontrollable position with no possibility of restoring mission…
  • p. 172 …control until propellant depletion. Trajectory inaccuracies were compensated for during Stage-2 burn, and the mission…
  • p. 180 …Missiles/Space Vehicle Files, 45th Space Wing, Wing Safety, Mission Flight Control and Analysis (SEO), 1957…
Table of Figures
Figure 1. Joust Impact Trace Showing a Mode-5 Failure Response ....................................6
Figure 2. Atlas IIAS Risk Contours for Inner-Ear Injury with A = 3.0.............................. 11
Figure 3. Atlas IIAS Risk Contours for Inner-Ear Injury with A = 3.5.............................. 12
Figure 4. Filter Factor Results for Representative Configurations of Atlas ...................... 23
Figure 5. Combined Random-Attitude and Slow-Tum Results ........................................ 36
Figure 6. Atlas IIAS Breakup Percentages for Random-Attitude Tums ........................... 37
Figure 7. Atlas HAS Impacts with No Breakup ........................................................ ~ ........ 39
Figure 8. Atlas IIAS Impacts with Breakup ......................................................................... 40
Figure 9. Atlas IIAS Simulation Results with B = 1,000 ..................................................... 42
Figure 10. Atlas IIAS Simulation Results with B = 50,000.................................................. 44
Figure 11. Atlas HAS Simulation Results with B = 100,000................................................ 45
Figure 12. Atlas HAS Simulation Results with B = 500,000................................................ 46
Figure 13. Atlas HAS Simulation·Results with B = 5,000,000.............................................47
Figure 14. Effects of Breakup q-alpha on A for Atlas IIAS ................................................ 49
Figure 15. Mode-5 Density-Function Values at Three Miles ............................................. 51
Figure 16. Atlas IIAS Mode-5 Ship-Hit Contours with A= 3.00 ....................................... 53
Figure 17. Atlas IIAS All-Mode Ship-Hit Contours with A = 3.00.................................... 54
Figure 18. Atlas IIAS Mode-5 Ship-Hit Contours with A= 3.45 ....................................... 55
Figure 19. Atlas IIAS All-Mode Ship-Hit Contours with A= 3.45.................................... 56
Figure 20. Atlas IIAS Mode-5 Ship-Hit Contours with A = 6.30 ....................................... 57
Figure 21. Atlas IIAS All-Mode Ship-Hit Contours with A = 6.30.................................... 58
Figure 22. Impact-Range Distributions .................................................................................. 59
Figure 23. Delta-GEM Breakup· Percentages ....................................................................... 61
Figure 24. Delta-GEM Simulation Results with B ==-1,000.................................................. 62
Figure 25. Delta-GEM Simulation Results with Best-Fit Shaping Constants ................... 63
Figure 26. Titctn·IV Breakup Percentages ................................................................................ 65
Figure 27. Titan·Simulation Results with B = 1,000 ............................................................ 66
Figure 28. Titan Simulation Results with Best-Fit Shaping Constants.............................. 67
Figure 29. LLVl Breakup Percentages ..................................................................................................................... 69
Figure 30. LLVl Simulation Results with B = l,000............................................................ 70
iv RTI9/10/96

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Report, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 181 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.