Posted: Sat, Jul 19, 2003, 2:34 PM ET (1834 GMT)
A NASA investigation into the loss of a hypersonic research vehicle two years ago concluded that poor modeling of the combination of the vehicle and its booster rocket caused the accident, SPACE.com reported Friday. The X-43A was lost in June 2001 when its booster rocket, derived from a Pegasus launch vehicle, spun out of control seconds after release from its carrier aircraft. According to the mishap investigation board's findings, which were obtained by SPACE.com in advance of their public release, poor modeling of the combination of the X-43A and its rocket resulted in overestimating safety margins. The vehicle's control system could not maintain control of the vehicle while in flight, triggering a sequence of events that led to the loss of the booster's tail fins and wings, sending the vehicle out of control. The board believes that a lack of proper technical staffing at Orbital Sciences Corporation, as well as insufficient oversight by NASA, contributed to the failure. With the cause of the accident understood, NASA is hoping to fly another X-43A model later this year to test scramjet technologies that could be used on future high-speed aircraft or launch vehicles.

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•  SPACE.com article