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To: Boplicity who wrote (6828)	3/25/1999 6:20:00 PM
From: RocketMan	Respond to of 29970

<OT> The short answer: st happens with space systems. The longer answer: I have not heard of any final report yet, but it seems at this point that WIRE's problems were not due to the Pegasus XL launch vehicle, which should bring Orbital Sciences some relief. They are having enough problems from other causes. There were some pre-launch problems with a rudder pin that caused an abort 45 seconds before the first launch attempt, and the cryogenic tanks had to be recycled. If I was on the investigation team (which I am not, so I can speculate), I would look at the procedures followed during that recycling. However, this is like an aircraft accident investigation, in which you start looking for the most obvious causes, then find that the real cause was some anomaly that you had not considered. With the success rate that we have had with space launches over the last decade or so, people don't realize just how difficult it is to do one of these launches, especially if they involve cryogenics. With a space telescope, for example, the least bit of moisture anywhere within the housing can cause outgassing in the vaccuum of space, creating ice deposits and destroying its sensitivity. Remember, you are talking temperatures below minus 400 degrees F. You can not bring a surface down to that temperature too quickly, you have to control the rate of cooling precisely before you launch, and apply just the right amount of coolant. And liquid gas of any type expands explosively if there is any leakage, so ... well, in short, st happens :-)