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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 19. Sample Impact Distribution for Atlas IIAS-with No Breakup .......................... 41
Table 20. Shaping Constants for Atlas IIAS......................................................................... 48
Table 21. Shaping Constants and Related Risks for Atlas HAS-......................................... 50
Table 22. Best-Fit Conditions for Atlas IIAS............................................. :.......................... 52
Table 23. Shaping Constants and Related Risks for Delta-GEM ....................................... 64
Table 24. Shaping Consta.nts for Titan IV ............................................................................ 68
Table 25. Shaping Constants for LLVl ................................................................................. 72
Table 26. Summary of A Values for B = 1,000................. ;................................................... 72-
Table 27. Failure Probabilities for Atlas, Delta, and Titan ................................................. 75
Table 28. Recommended Response-Mode Percentages for Flight Phases O-2 ................. 75~
Table 29. Recommended Response-Mode Percentages for Flight Phases O- 1................ 75
Table 30. Absolute Failure Probabilities for Response Modes 1 - 5 .................................. 76
Table 31. Summary of A Values for B = 1,000..................................................................•... 77
Table 32. Summary of Optimum·Mode-5 Shaping Constants ........................................... 77
Table 33. Effect on £-Ratio-of Varying Mode-5 Constant A {B = 1000) - Part 1 ................ 82
Table 34. Effect on £-Ratio-of Varying Mode-5 Constant A {B = 1000) - Part 2 ................ 83
Table 35. Effect on £-Ratio-of Varying Mode-5 Constant B {A = 3) - Part 1 ...................... 84
Table 36. Effect on £-Ratio-of Varying Mode-5 Constant B {A= 3) - Part 2 ...................... 85
Table 37. Filter Application for Failure Probability............................................................ 95
Table 38. Flight-Phase Defi°:,itions........................................................................................ 99
Table 39. Flight Phases by Launch Vehicle ......................................................................... 99
Table 40. Summary of Atlas Vehicle Configurations ....................................................... 101
Table 41. Atlas Launch History ...........................................................•............................... 103
•Table 42. Summary of Delta Vehicle Configurations ....................................................... 133
Table 43. Delta Launch History .......................................................................................... 136
Table 44. Summary of Titan Vehicle Configurations ....................................................... 147 .
Table 45. Titan Launch History .......................................................................................... 149
Table 46. Thor Launch History ........................................................................................... 165
Vl 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.