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posted by n1 on Wednesday October 29 2014, @11:05AM   Printer-friendly
from the very-expensive-fireworks dept.

A supply rocket carrying cargo and experiments to the ISS exploded shortly after liftoff. NASA and Orbital Sciences (the company operating the rocket) have not released any information about what may have caused the incident, pending further investigation.

The mission was unmanned, and all personnel are safe and accounted for. The extent of the damage to the launch facility has not yet been determined.

Phil Plait, author of the Bad Astronomy blog speculates that the 60s-70s era refurbished Russian engines the vehicle used will come under heavy scrutiny.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Wednesday October 29 2014, @05:14PM

    by LoRdTAW (3755) on Wednesday October 29 2014, @05:14PM (#111262) Journal

    You know I forgot that the loom was one of the first truly automated machines. Funny how the punch card lasted as long as it did in terms of a storage medium for programs.

    I remember the old CNC machines we had had punch tape readers. My father would hand write the programs and send them out to be punched onto tape. We used to have a carousel in the main office with dozens of square plastic tubes each with a program tape inside. The tubes had a job name, number and manufacturer. Then by the late 80's he moved to all serial lines for DNC. He had a switch box in his office next to his PC that he could select one of four machines, two sharing a serial line since they were right next to eachother. Long serial cables ran to the shop floor from his desk and he could upload a program right from his desk. During that phase he moved to CAD/CAM.

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