Space Systems Failures

Disasters and Rescues of Satellites, Rockets and Space Probes

David M. Harland and Ralph D. Lorenz

Few endeavours are as technologically demanding as the design and operation of rockets and robotic spacecraft. Throughout the Space Age, missions have been frustrated by a variety of failures, ranging from booster failures and upper stages misfiring, to satellites blowing fuses, to probes missing their targets, and even crash landing. In space, therefore, just as on Earth, if we are to advance the state of the art we must learn from our failures.

In Space Systems Failures David Harland and Ralph Lorenz review the causes of failures and how the engineering knowledge base has been enhanced by the lessons learned. The tales they tell provide a valuable insight into the trials and tribulations of exploration and exploitation of the high frontier.

Table of Contents

• List of illustrations
• Authors' preface
• Acknowledgements
  
  Part One: Launch vehicles
  1. The missiles
  2. The Shuttle
  3. Back to expendables
  4. Heavyweights
  5. Lightweights
  6. Boom and bust
  7. The Chinese experience
  8. The current crop
  Part Two: Satellites and space probes
  9. Failure and redundancy
  10. Propulsion system failures
  11. Attitude control system failures
  12. Electrical failures
  13. Environmental failures
  14. Structural failures
  15. Failures on the ground
  16. Operator and software errors
  17. Conclusions
• Index

Extent: 386 pages
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: March 2005
ISBN: 978-0-387-21519-8

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