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FailureSupporting EvidenceDetracting EvidenceProbabilityNotes
Boost Phase Piston Deployment
  • Vehicle separated
  • Piston Actuated
  • TeleMega data shows good voltage on both pyro channels until T+11s
Eliminated 
Fin Flutter
  • Initial Fin failure at root
  • Fin stiffness not measured prior to flight
  • All fin failures happen at the root
  • Analysis shows flutter velocity >>> M3
ModerateIt'd be awesome if we could find a fin
Fin Shear
  • Initial fin failure at root
  • Fin Analysis was a known analysis weak point
  • Flight Article not tested
  • Very, very positive margins for design case
Highly LikelyIt'd be awesome if we could find a fin
Fin Thermal Weakening
  • Thermal environment is known to be above working temperature of epoxy system
  • Flight article not tested
  • Remaining carbon fiber on fin can does not show evidence of thermal damage
Moderate

It'd be awesome if we could find a fin

This may be a contributing factor to other failure modes

Fin Tip Disbond
  • Flight article not tested
  • Very positive test margins
LowIt would have been fricking amazing if we found the fins
Asymmetric Nozzle Failure
  • Nozzle insert is missing
  • Nozzle carrier step exhibited significant erosion
  • Successful static fire
  • Can this produce enough of an asymmetric force to cause the observed dynamics?
ModerateP-Tap data on the LE DAQ can retire this failure mode, or further indict it.
Wind Shear
  • Observed vehicle dynamics align with the vehicle clearing mountain ranges around FAR
  • Forecast and NAS China Lake report low winds
Low

May have been a contributing factor in a compound failure

See Therion 3 Postflight Report

Fin Can below spec
  • We have literally no composite quality standard
  • We did not test the flight article
  • We have literally no quantitive indications that the fin can was built to drawing
 Highly Likely

Interlaminar shear strength could be degraded by dust contamination

Fin Can sanding may have abraded through critical layers of carbon tip to tip

Coning
  • This vehicle was all over the place on TeleMega data
 Highly LikelyWe need to understand when coning happens and check the data.
Nose Cone Collapse 
  • Static Load Test
ModerateNose cone not recovered
  • No labels