Accident Investigation
Board (AIB), that was
assembled quickly in the
aftermath of the disaster
and charged with determining the root cause of
the launch failure.
rocket climbed only very
slowly, barely clearing the
tower it seemed to me. The
rocket failed to emerge
from the normal huge
plume of smoke and ash
that’s purposely deflected
away by the flame trench
The photos captured
at the base of the pad.
on our image cards were
I was totally stunned
used as evidence and
trying to comprehend what
scrutinized by the investigawas happening because it
tors searching for clues
was all so wrong. It seemed
as to the cause. Similar
simultaneously to last for
NASA and Orbital Sciences
hours and mere moments.
photos have not been
publically released. Over a
It was absolutely nothOrbital Sciences’ technicians at work on two AJ26 first stage engines at the base of
month after the event, they an Antares rocket at NASA Wallops. The refurbished, Soviet era NK-33 engines most ing like the other Antares
likely caused the Antares rocket failure in late 2014. Credit: Ken Kremer
finally released the recordlaunches I’ve witnessed
ings back to us allowing
from the media site.
me to relive the events, second by second.
I knew as a scientist and journalist that I was watching
My remote camera images herein shows Antares
a mounting disaster unfold before my eyes.
terrifying descent into a hellish inferno. And one clearly
Instead of ascending on an accelerating arc, a mamshows that the south side engine nozzle was intact after
moth ball of fire, smoke and ash blew up the entire sky in
the explosion. Thus it was the north side engine that blew
front of us like a scene out of hell or war. Literally a wide
up.
swath of the sky was set on fire unlike anything I’ve ever
witnessed. Launches usually look more like a blow-torch
Everything appeared normal at first. But within about
five seconds or so there was obviously a serious mishap
I prayed the rocket would emerge unscathed, but
as the rocket was no longer ascending. It was just frozen
knew it wouldn’t – and it didn’t.
in time. And I was looking directly at the launch, not
A series of irregular, ear-piercing mid-air explosions
through the viewfinder of my cameras.
suddenly rocked the area. And it wen