Orbital Sciences Resupply Launch Explodes Mid-flight

Was anybody else just watching the NASA stream where this thing exploded in midair? Holy shit.

You can see the Stream right here. http://www.space.com/17933-nasa-television-webcasts-live-space-tv.html

UPDATE: Video is up showing the explosion.

No, but I just caught it on CNN.com in the little window to the left that streams the latest happenings literally right after it happened. Hell of an explosion.

Thankfully the thing was unmanned. That explosion was sickening.

If they don't have a B plan, it's going to be awkward asking the Russians for help now.

Hopefully. I think this is the company that SpaceX owns. If so, the future of commercial space flight isn't looking too bright.

Should have hired SpaceX.

Should have waited for 4th of July

Has nothing to do with NASA's budget. These rocket launches have been moving to the private sector (for the better) for years now. This is one bad launch of many MANY successful launches for various companies.

I mostly agree, but NASA still could use a budget boost.

Dat rocket fuel belongs in my car.

Indeed, but this particular incident really has nothing to do with it. Even with a bigger budget, there is no doubt they'd still be relying more and more on these companies. Much better having NASA focus on project planning/scientific research, and leaving the rocket building to SpaceX and the like.

Elon Musk is behind this brazen act of sabotage.

Orbital Sciences Corp. is a SpaceX competitor, and only SpaceX stands to gain from this little "incident".

Musk two years ago:

Anderson: I’ve heard that the attitude is essentially that you can’t fly a component that hasn’t already flown.

Musk: Right, which is obviously a catch-22, right? There should be a Groucho Marx joke about that. So, yeah, there’s a tremendous bias against taking risks. Everyone is trying to optimize their ass-covering.

Anderson: That’s a nice phrase.

Musk: The results are pretty crazy. One of our competitors, Orbital Sciences, has a contract to resupply the International Space Station, and their rocket honestly sounds like the punch line to a joke. It uses Russian rocket engines that were made in the ’60s. I don’t mean their design is from the ’60s—I mean they start with engines that were literally made in the ’60s and, like, packed away in Siberia somewhere.

Like others said, thankfully it was unmanned.

Also, when the camera pans out after the explosion for a second there the grass shade makes it look like a rock concert with everybody on the crowd with their arms up.

Orbital Sciences Resupply Launch Explodes Mid-flight

It was entertaining, could've been even more so if some astronauts had exploded with it.

At least a dog wasn't in it.

Surprisingly their stock went up the day of the mishap.