CONTOUR (COmet Nucleus TOUR), lauched in 2002, fired it's solid rocket motor to put it into Helicentric orbit on August 15th 2002, at 08:49 UT. During, or just shortly before the end of this firing, something went seriously wrong. We now know it to be a flaw in the design of the CONTOUR craft, which caused an explosion & breakup of the craft, into 3 large pieces.
According to space.com's reporting:
Faulty design had placed the motor too far up the body of the spacecraft, allowing hot exhaust gases to apparently heat the probe and trigger its breakup
...
Although other causes cannot be ruled out.
Horizons has the trajectories of the 3 pieces, and I already have 3 low-accuracy xyz's on my site for the fragments.
I've decided to make a set of models of the CONTOUR craft, before, during, and after the explosion! I've come up with a good few ideas on what it would have looked like, however I wanted to go to the forum to see what other ideas people might have.
Please google for images of contour before you make a suggestion. Also, a few other links you may want to look at are:
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/co ... 30212.html (ok)
http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/ima ... 20NASA/APL (important- internal structure)
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/Mas ... =2002-034A (good)
http://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu/contour.html (average)
http://spaceflightnow.com/delta/d292/020628contour.html (very good)
http://server4.oersted.dtu.dk/research/ ... tions.html (good-ish)
Heres my theory...
1. SRM (solid rocket motor) fires at 08:49
2. Hot exhaust gases escape into the interior of the spacecraft, weakening the struts holding the SRM to the base of the craft, and damaging the fabric protecting the craft from cometary particles
3. About 45 seconds after ignition, SRM breaks loose, and impacts hydrazine tank, (which is just above it, and slightly to the side).
4. Hydrazine tank explodes (is hydrazine explosive/flammable?) destroying one side of the craft
5. SRM continues on it's merry way, and breaks out through the top of the craft, ripping off a large chunk of the top & side in the process.
6. This results in:
- Fragment A- The base of the craft, part of the side, and some of the internal structure. It looks partially "burnt" and everything above halfway up is gone. (Biggest, therefore most reflective & brightest
- Fragment B- The top & part of the side of the craft (ripped off during SRM impact) also some of the internal structure. Not burnt so much (opposite side to Hydrazine tank). This part is about the same size as fragment A, but less reflective because less gold foil.
- Fragment C- the SRM. This went right through the top of the craft, and out the other side. It's about 1/2 the size of fragment B, but is covered in gold & silver foil. Although this foil is "burnt" from the Hydrazine tank, it's still quite reflective.
So... That's my idea...! I've still got to finish the model of CONTOUR as it looked before the accident, but I look forward to your suggestions of what the breakup may have looked like/what happened in general!!
Thanks!
(If you need pics of the model or more info etc I can get it for you...)
