PHOTO 18 -- Flight C-18, July 1980
 | This photo was taken one-half second after the previous photo (17). Burning fragments of propellant scarred the sky with trails of smoke. The partially unfurled parachute, with nosecone attached, is seen in the lower part of the photo. Failure was caused by an experimental "burst diaphram" installed in the B-200 motor, which restricted gas flow through the nozzle. This failure of a B-200 motor was a rarety. Out of 20 static firings and 36 rocket flights, for a total of 56 missions, only this one failure occurred, boasting a success rate of over 98%. |
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