PHOTO 84 -- Flight C-30 : October 24, 1982
 | Resting in a bed of cattails. The rocket fell (sideways) into a marsh, and as such, was relatively undamaged by the impact. Unfortunately, the rocket was not found until the following day, and by then, the water had irreparably damaged the circuitry of the payload. The upper fuselage had been ripped open by the parachute cable, suggesting that the velocity at deployment was great. Clearly, the ejection charge must have fired later than was normal. The nosecone had remained tethered to the three-foot parachute, and descended very slowly! It took more than five minutes to touch down, landing greater than a mile distant! |