What can go wrong with rockets? Your help needed!

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agrinrod

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Hello everyone!

For the Norwegian Association of Amateur Rocketry, I am currently setting up a systematic method for analysing risks connected to rockets and rocket launches. The hobby is not very well established here i Norway, so we have a lot of convincing to do in terms of the aviation authorities and other functions that we would need permits from. In this regard, I am pulling together a spreadsheet with all the stuff that can go wrong during a rocket launch to assess the risk. This is first based on identifying the activity, describing the possible adverse effects, assessing the severity, probability and finally ending up with the risk and possible mitigation that can lower the risk. The spreadsheet that we use can be found here (HMS#DPR1): https://nraf.no/wp/index.php/risikoanalyse/. It is in Norwegian, but you get the picture I hope...

I want to ask the following from the audience: What can go wrong during a rocket launch, and what can be the possible outcome? Here are some suggestions to get you started. Can you think of more?

- Failure to open drogue chute
- Failure to open main chute
- Failure to open both chutes (going ballistic!)
- CATO
- Loss of fins (what will happen, and what is the possible consequence?)
- Shred
- Rip

Best regards

Anders Grinrød
Chairman
Norwegian Association of Amateur Rocketry
www.nraf.no
[email protected]
 
Rather than try to answer those sorts of questions directly, I suggest that you reach out to the National Association of Rocketry (nar.org) and the Tripoli Rocketry Association (tripoli.org). These are the two national organizations for rocketry here in the U.S., and they can probably help you with a great deal of institutional knowledge. For example, I know that there are the results of many safety tests.

This might be a good place to start. https://www.nar.org/pdf/40years.pdf

Also, you might want to specify what type of rocketry you are interested in.

I'm sure that there are also other organizations in other countries that could provide some experience.


I'd expect that doing a FMEA might be a bit tricky/subjective - is that what you are doing?
 
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Emphasized is that the risks of model rocketry when performed within the NAR safety code are minimal.

Probably my biggest concern before I used a taller tripod launcher: Eye injuries from bending over an uncapped portable pad launcher with an uncapped launch rod to place a rocket on the pad. Most launch rods come with caps, but they easily get lost. I am actually glad I wear glasses!

Unstable rocket-- may come to ground prior to recovery deployment: risk injury to spectators or property or fire danger from propellent firing in contact with grass/brush.

Weathercocking, may prevent rocket from reaching sufficient altitude for complete recovery deployment.

Musculoskeletal injuries from chasing a rocket looking up at the sky without watching where you are going/running.
 
Rather than try to answer those sorts of questions directly, I suggest that you reach out to the National Association of Rocketry (nar.org) and the Tripoli Rocketry Association (tripoli.org). These are the two national organizations for rocketry here in the U.S., and they can probably help you with a great deal of institutional knowledge. For example, I know that there are the results of many safety tests.

This might be a good place to start. https://www.nar.org/pdf/40years.pdf

Also, you might want to specify what type of rocketry you are interested in.

I'm sure that there are also other organizations in other countries that could provide some experience.


I'd expect that doing a FMEA might be a bit tricky/subjective - is that what you are doing?

Thanks a lot for that document! That will sure prove to be extremely helpful in this endeavour.

As you say, what we are trying to do is a FMEA. It can definitively be quite subjective, but on the other hand, is is giving a good visual representation of the risks involved. Another factor is that matrices like this is what people are used to seeing over here (safety culture is widespread, mainly becuse of the large oil-industry here i Norway, where FMEA\s are used all the time...also by myself in my day job in the same industry).

Thanks again for all the useful input guys!

Anders
 
Hello everyone!

For the Norwegian Association of Amateur Rocketry, I am currently setting up a systematic method for analysing risks connected to rockets and rocket launches. The hobby is not very well established here i Norway, so we have a lot of convincing to do in terms of the aviation authorities and other functions that we would need permits from. In this regard, I am pulling together a spreadsheet with all the stuff that can go wrong during a rocket launch to assess the risk. This is first based on identifying the activity, describing the possible adverse effects, assessing the severity, probability and finally ending up with the risk and possible mitigation that can lower the risk. The spreadsheet that we use can be found here (HMS#DPR1): https://nraf.no/wp/index.php/risikoanalyse/. It is in Norwegian, but you get the picture I hope...

I want to ask the following from the audience: What can go wrong during a rocket launch, and what can be the possible outcome? Here are some suggestions to get you started. Can you think of more?

- Failure to open drogue chute
- Failure to open main chute
- Failure to open both chutes (going ballistic!)
- CATO
- Loss of fins (what will happen, and what is the possible consequence?)
- Shred
- Rip

Best regards

Anders Grinrød
Chairman
Norwegian Association of Amateur Rocketry
www.nraf.no
[email protected]

You will obviously need to expand this list, for example: a 'chute opening too early or too late. There are also numerous reasons for each involving manufacturing, design defects, component failure, user/operator error, etc. Please do post some interim results.
 
You will obviously need to expand this list, for example: a 'chute opening too early or too late. There are also numerous reasons for each involving manufacturing, design defects, component failure, user/operator error, etc. Please do post some interim results.

Dick,

Please note that the purpose of this inqury was not to present a long list of failure modes for the forum members to review, but rather to see if anything turned up that was not thought about before. We have a pretty long list already, but the intention was to cross-check and compare to see if anything had been left out. In my experience, presenting a long list of information can leave people a bit biased, thinking that "everything has been thought of already". I just wanted to get some fresh perspectives on the subject matter.

best regards

Anders
 
I have personally found that rockets can be responsible for the following:

- Drastic decrease in available cash
- Elevated blood pressure
- increase in heart rate
- Small chance of soiling trousers

Zeb
 
Parachute failures:
Parachute deploys, but fails to open
Parachute deploys and shreds from aerodynamic forces
Parachute deploys, but was not attached to rocket
Parachute deploys and chute and nose cone separate from the rest of rocket

The rocket motor starts a fire at the launch site. I have seen this happen twice and both times it was a "sparky" motor launched from a harvested corn field. The corn stalks were dry and they caught fire from the sparks from the motor.

As others have suggested it may be best to contact NAR and tell them what you are trying to do. Having information from a national organization will be much more official looking than information from people on the internet.
 
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