While today, NASA leads humans forward in unparalleled missions of exploration and discovery, it is by no means perfect. In fact, it turns out that rocket science is a pretty difficult thing to get right-- and we're still messing up, even 57 years later. However, the rocket mishaps of today are nothing like their historical counterparts -- mostly because of the vast improvements we've made in rocket safety and stability. These stunning explosions show that no, you're never too big to fail-- and mistakes, even really big and loud and fireball-filled ones, won't define you forever. In that spirit, and in the shadow of final exams (because those won't define you either!), here are 4 of NASA's biggest busts.
1. Vanguard TV3
Oops. (Source: Smithsonian)
Beginner's luck was apparently not in the cards for NASA- its first satellite launch attempt also became its first failure. The Vanguard TV3 rocket, launched in 1957, made it a mere four feet off the ground before the rockets failed. After only a few seconds the rocket began to fall back to Earth and exploded in a massive fireball. Given the Cold War environment and the United States' scrambling to catch up to Sputnik, this explosion was a huge embarrassment to both NASA and the rest of the USA. Watch the video here.
2. GPS IIR-1
Rocket fuel rain. (Source: NASA TV)
This was really an explosion like none other. The Delta-II carrying this Air Force GPS satellite was detonated by range safety due to a crack in the rocket casing. However, in this case, the rocket was a mere 1600 feet above Cape Canaveral, and flaming debris rained down across the station and nearby town. The cars of many Cape employees were completely destroyed by the debris, and damage was reported as far as 10 miles away from the launchpad. This is a video worth watching; see it here.
3. Titan IV A20
The Titan IV family certainly went out with a bang. Titan IVA was the family of Air Force satellite rockets that eventually retired in 2005, and late in its life the Titan family was plagued with reliability issues. This launch is a spectacular embodiment of such issues; this unfortunate rocket, carrying a spy satellite, suddenly pitched downward in an electrical failure and self-destructed in what is now considered the worst Titan accident in its lifetime. Watch the launch and explosion here.
4. Titan I
This is a really far throwback to the beginnings of NASA- the first series of Titan rockets had some difficult times getting off the ground. This particular launch, in December of 1959, was doomed by vibrations that erroneously triggered the self-destruct sequence merely one second after liftoff. The explosion created by the full fuel tanks on the rocket was enormous, even by rocket standards; watch it here.
