A Russian Soyuz Rocket Failed Launch, But Its Abort Safety System Saved Lives

Rocket science is always a risky business, which is why crewed capsules and the rockets that launch them carry a variety of systems built in to ensure the safety of those aboard, as the world remembered today.

One of the longest-serving and most renowned rockets suffered a serious crash in the International Space Station today (Oct. 11) carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. The astronauts landed safely and an investigation was already underway.

It will take you to the spot, but so far, NASA has blamed it has been a problem during the Soyuz rocket powering the launch. NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman said during a news conference held today. [In Photos: Space Station Crew Aborts Mission After Soyuz Launch Failure]

At this point, the crew is forced to carry on the air, and the astronauts get away from the troubled booster and its giant stash of extremely flammable rocket fuel. After a few moments of free fall, the capsule's parachutes. The duo took a little more than half an hour to land and was immediately put in place by the Russian-and-rescue team that had been deployed as part of the standard procedure for launches.

Hague and Ovchinin left their capsule, were studied by the search-and-rescue team, and began the journey to Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to reunite with family members and NASA and Roscosmos officials. Soon after, they will head back to Star City in Moscow, where astronauts live while they prepare for launch.

While there is no reason for concern, NASA officials were told their confidence in their spaceflight and their relief that everything – from that anomaly – performed perfectly.

The rocket, Russia's Soyuz system, is one of several flavors of the same basic rocket the country has been launching since the late 1960s, for crewed and uncrewed missions alike. Today's vehicle type, a Soyuz-FG rocket, is the only design currently certified to carry humans. Asif Siddiqi, a space historian at Fordham University, told Space.com.

Even over the full history of Soyuz rockets, he added. The two other serious launch incidents occurred in 1975 and 1983, respectively.

The 1975 failure "was probably the most dangerous one," said Siddiqi, "because they had to endure a lot of Gs coming back in and they landed way off course." During that re-entry, Soviet cosmonauts experienced over 21 Hailed and Ovchinin today.

During the 1983 launch, the Soyuz had not quite started when crewmembers had to get away from the rocket caught fire. Had the escape mechanism even taken a second, the analyzes suggested.

Nevertheless, Soyuz Rockets is still in the news, but today's incidents still remain serious. (A few Soyuz missions have ended up with re-entry, long after the rocket itself had done its job.)

That Siddiqi Added Siddiqi added to the Siddiqi added. These protection measures include, of course, the separation and ballistic re-entry sequences that have been automatically initiated today as the safest escape technique for the situation. [See the Breathtaking View from a Russian Soyuz Rocket As It Launches into Space]

"They've had a lot of close shaves, many of them in fact, but they've managed the skin of their teeth to save their crew," Siddiqi said. "They have a pretty good safety system in place during launch phase to recover the crew – and it worked, the crew is fine."

But while crewed missions have been in general, the Russians have struggled with cargo missions and with the infamous small air leak aboard the space station in August. That context makes this additional incident more important than it would be on its own, Siddiqi said.

"There's a cumulative sense that the Russian space program is degrading," he said. "In isolation it's serious, but it's not a disaster."

But in light of other issues? "I'm not that sure, because they're dealing with a lot of problems," he said. Fortunately, the safety systems were not among them.

Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.