PHOTO 76-- Flight C-21 : August 23, 1981
 | Liftoff! As well as certain changes to the rocket (refinements to the ejection system), improvements were made to the launch support equipment for this flight. Modifications to the launch pad allowed for easier and quicker setup in the field, important since most launches occurred in the failing light of late evening (when winds were lightest). The motor ignition system was also modified to provide greater reliability. Corrosion of some electrical connections (due to contact with corrosive exhaust gases) had, on occasion, resulted in the countdown ending with "... 3-2-1-nothing". Besides being anticlimactic, precious time was lost in tracing, and rectifying, the cause of ignition failure and recycling the countdown... |