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Rocket hit by lightning 10secs after lift-off


Eldorado

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"Lightning struck a Russian Soyuz rocket just ten seconds into its thunderous journey up through the atmosphere, shocking footing reveals.

"The electrical discharge hit the Soyuz both on its nose fairing and its third-stage booster segment, according to the spacecraft's on-board instruments.

"Unimpeded by the strike, the carrier rocket continued into its planned low-earth orbit, where it delivered its payload of a radio-based navigation satellite."

17secs Video and full report at the UK Daily Mail:  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7077269/Electrifying-footage-shows-moment-lightning-strikes-Russian-Soyuz-rocket-launch.html

At Interesting Engineering: https://interestingengineering.com/lightning-is-no-match-for-the-russian-soyuz-rocket

30secs YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jQVsI7erv8

Edited by Eldorado
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:huh:  I saw the rocket ascending and saw the lightning strike but I guess we'll take their word that it actually hit the craft.  Seems like that kind of discharge would have damaged some instrumentation at the least.

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Not necessarily, @and then. The spacecraft could consitute a faraday cage, in which case there would be no potential difference within the spaceship itself, and hence no current flow. 

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2 hours ago, and then said:

:huh:  I saw the rocket ascending and saw the lightning strike but I guess we'll take their word that it actually hit the craft.  Seems like that kind of discharge would have damaged some instrumentation at the least.

Apollo 12 was hit by lightning shortly after lift off, yet it went on to do the second manned landing on the Moon.

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5 hours ago, Noteverythingisaconspiracy said:

Apollo 12 was hit by lightning shortly after lift off, yet it went on to do the second manned landing on the Moon.

Yes, but only after all three of the spacecraft's fuel cells and it's 8-ball attitude indicator were knocked out. Virtually every warning light on the control panel lit up and many other systems shut down.

Had it not been for a quick thinking individual in mission control called John Aaron the mission would have been aborted. He remembered a rather obscure switch in the command module and made the now legendary call, "Flight, EECOM. Try SCE to Aux." Flicking this switch reset the electonics and saved the mission. 

NASA no longer launches when there is any chance of lightning. The launch commit criteria states that a launch can not precede if lightning has been observed within 10 nautical miles in the preceding 30 minutes. 

Edited by Waspie_Dwarf
typos.
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@Waspie_Dwarf, thanks. 

I assumed that well-developed and relatively modern rockets would be reasonably protected, lightning included. That’s a misconception on my part. 

I did assume that more modern propulsion systems would negate any issue to do with environmental static discharge.

Of course, launching the most important things ever out of our atmosphere is not my job.

If you have time to explain a little further, it would be much appreciated!

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