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South Korea's First Rocket Fails To Reach Set Orbit

Posted by kdawson on from the ground-control-to-major-tom dept.

Matt_dk writes "The first satellite launched by South Korea failed to reach its designated orbit pattern on Tuesday, the NY Times is reporting. The two-staged KSLV-1 rocket, built in cooperation with Russia, failed to deliver the 100-kilogram oceanic and atmospheric research satellite into its target orbit. The rocket was launched from the Naro Space Center, 300 miles south of the capital Seoul. 'The failure to push the satellite into its intended orbit was announced by Ahn Myong-man, the minister of education, science and technology, at a news conference. Mr. Ahn gave no further details. But South Korean news outlets, citing unidentified sources, said the satellite broke away from the rocket about 22 miles farther from the Earth than had been intended.'"

101 comments

  1. Sometimes they just say that by Informative · · Score: 1, Interesting

    to hide spy activities.
    Ooops, maybe I wasn't supposed to say that.

    1. Re:Sometimes they just say that by palegray.net · · Score: 1

      This shouldn't be marked troll. They certainly wouldn't be the first nation to claim failure to achieve a stable orbit, only to admit (much) later there's a satellite up there after all.

      --
      512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
    2. Re:Sometimes they just say that by techno-vampire · · Score: 1

      RTFS a little more closely. It doesn't say that the satellite didn't achieve a stable orbit, it says (as does TFA) that it didn't end up in the designated orbit. It may well be in a (reasonably) stable orbit, just not quite the one they wanted.

      --
      Good, inexpensive web hosting
    3. Re:Sometimes they just say that by palegray.net · · Score: 1

      From the information given, it's not in a stable orbit.

      --
      512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
  2. Oh! Oh! by Aphoxema · · Score: 2, Insightful

    In Soviet Russia... ahh... I don't have anything. I best leave it to the professionals.

    --
    "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"
    1. Re:Oh! Oh! by mooingyak · · Score: 4, Funny

      In Soviet Russia... ahh... I don't have anything. I best leave it to the professionals.
      ... the professionals leave it to you?

      --
      William of Ockham had no beard. The most likely explanation is that it was chewed off by squirrels every morning.
    2. Re:Oh! Oh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      In Soviet Russia... ahh... I don't have anything. I best leave it to the professionals.

      In Korea, Soviet Russia jokes are only for old people.

    3. Re:Oh! Oh! by forkazoo · · Score: 5, Funny

      In Soviet Russia... ahh... I don't have anything. I best leave it to the professionals.

      In South Korea, people launch rockets into space.
      In Russia, rockets launch people into space.

      But, I'm sure South Korea will eventually also develop man-rated space equipment. It'll just take time while they refine the launching capacity.

    4. Re:Oh! Oh! by MobileTatsu-NJG · · Score: 1

      In Soviet Russia... ahh... I don't have anything. I best leave it to the professionals.

      In Korea, Soviet Russia jokes are only for old people.

      That would sound so much cooler... IN JAPAN!

      --

      "I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)

    5. Re:Oh! Oh! by maiki · · Score: 1

      "kankoku de ha, sobieto roshia no jyooku ga rojin dake no mono da"

      I'm not a native speaker, but that doesn't sound quite so cool. But if you're interested in Soviet Russia jokes in Japanese, this is invaluable. It even has some C code to make Hello World into a Soviet Russia joke.

  3. N.K by DirtyCanuck · · Score: 5, Interesting

    âoeNorth Korea will surely try to use the South Korean launch to justify its own,â said Jeung Young-tae, an analyst at the government-financed Korea Institute for National Unification. âoeBut in the end, its attempt will be dismissed as propaganda because there are clear differences between the two.â

    Dismissed by who? The rest of world who already knows everything he says is loaded bull.

    Or the "citizens" of North Korea who are brainwashed into believing (or supporting) every word he says.

    The people of North Korea are so isolated he could say the Japanese were sending over Godzilla to justify an attack, and the outcome would be the same with regards to domestic support.

    1. Re:N.K by MozeeToby · · Score: 4, Informative

      Or the "citizens" of North Korea who are brainwashed into believing (or supporting) every word he says.

      Give the citizens of North Korea some credit, it isn't really being brainwashed if there's a very real chance of you being sentenced to a few decades hard labor for saying the slightest negative thing about the government.

    2. Re:N.K by scubamage · · Score: 0, Troll

      3 words: Glass Parking Lot. Even if NK had regime change its people would never be able to survive in the modern world for at least 2-3 generations. So, nuke them, turn the area into low-cost housing for China. Everybody wins. Even North Korea - they finally get to be justified in calling the rest of the world dangerous imperialists.

    3. Re:N.K by MozeeToby · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ah, the perfect solution to a difficult problem, just kill everyone you don't agree with (or in this case don't want to help). Just think, we could get rid of all the 'bad' people in the world; blacks, gays, Mexicans, redheads, poor people. The possibilities are endless!

    4. Re:N.K by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If every human on this planet got rid of all the other humans they did not like, there would be no humans left.

      ** anon cause karma should not be for stating the truth

    5. Re:N.K by xmundt · · Score: 1

      And there are times when I look at the state of the world, and wonder if that would be a BAD thing
      pleasant dreams
      dave mundt

      --
      YAB - http://blog.beemandave.com/
    6. Re:N.K by ground.zero.612 · · Score: 1

      If every human on this planet got rid of all the other humans they did not like, there would be no humans left.

      ** anon cause karma should not be for stating the truth

      Citation needed.

      --
      "Be prepared, son. That's my motto. Be prepared." --Joe Hallenbeck
    7. Re:N.K by ibsteve2u · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Give the citizens of North Korea some credit, it isn't really being brainwashed if there's a very real chance of you being sentenced to a few decades hard labor...

      Or your family's food ration paperwork starts going missing a day here and there...far less expensive than maintaining prison camps.

      --
      Orwell: "In a Time of Universal Deceit, telling the Truth is a Revolutionary Act"
    8. Re:N.K by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If every human on this planet got rid of all the other humans they did not like, there would be no humans left.

      Except one. I sometimes think it's not a bad idea.

    9. Re:N.K by thexile · · Score: 1

      Can you shut the fuck up? It seems like you are the one who is being brainwashed here.

    10. Re:N.K by stanjam · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately the citizens of NK do tend to believe the things they are told by "dear leader." The interviews and contact that we have had with the North, which is incredibly limited, tend to indicate that, while they do not believe EVERYTHING, most of the principles stated by the NK propaganda machine are believed. It is a result of extreme isolation, poverty, and being bombarded with the message since birth. It comes from EVERY source. So while tactics like this did not work incredibly well in the Soviet Union, at least not in the last couple of decades of the cold war, that was mostly due to the fact that information about the rest of the world was readily available. The people of NK are completely cut off, and really do believe many of the things said about the rest of the world. This isn't true in many cases, which is why, in the neutral zone, the soldiers there are set up so they can stop people from getting OUT as much as stop people getting IN.

      --
      Open Source: Eroding the Digital Divide
    11. Re:N.K by MozeeToby · · Score: 1

      I don't think you understand just how bad the situation is in terms of the threat that hangs over their heads. I recently read one article about a woman who spent 15 years in a labor camp, essentially digging ditches and filling them back in. Not only that, but her children and her parents were also put into camps as well, several of them dying due to the horrible conditions in those camps. They saw people executed without trial for trying to escape, or for stealing for, or any number of other offenses that the commander of the base can make up on the spot.

      The horrible thing that the woman had done to deserve this? She knew a woman who once dated Kim Jong Il. Of course, she didn't know that until her release, where she was told that if they ever suspected her of gossiping about the supreme leader, she and her family would be back in prison in a heartbeat.

      Now ask yourself, if you lived in a place like that, and a foreign newscaster was asking you what you thought about the government policies, what would you say? I'm not saying that no one over there believes it, I'm just saying that you would never know if they believe it or not. Even those that have left the country and claim to have no family will say they believe it, because quite frankly, they probably do have family and are doing whatever they can to protect them.

    12. Re:N.K by stanjam · · Score: 1

      I understand the threat. Of course any in any interview no one is going to speak against dear leader etc. I will also admit clearly that not everyone believes all the propaganda, and that not all the propaganda is believed by any one. What I am saying is that quite a bit of what is said is actually taken as fact, because they have no reason to believe otherwise, and nothing to contradict it. For instance, many believe that if it comes to war with the United States, that NK has the upper hand. Why would we not have attacked if it were otherwise? Because of the sheer volume of disinformation, and the incredible lack of evidence otherwise, enough of the propaganda is actually believed as fact. Sure, much of it is hard for most of the populous to swallow, but enough of it gets sunk in by the average person. Heck, even in a "free" society such as the United States, people swallow whole lies hook, line, and sinker quite easily. Quite a few people believe that Iraq led the 9/11 attacks, that Obama wasn't born in the U.S., and that socialized medicine will kill the elderly, even though the elderly are almost all participating in socialized medicine currently. Like the woman wrote to Obama: "I don't want socialized medicine, and don't touch my medicare!"

      --
      Open Source: Eroding the Digital Divide
    13. Re:N.K by piemcfly · · Score: 1

      You're wrong. They're not just the Japanese. They're AT LEAST 'Japanese Reactionaries', but preferably 'Militarist Reactionary Confrontationist Japanese Ruling Forces', whose 'confrontational hysteria reveals their militarist disposition and ambition to swallow up the DPRK at any cost, without flinching even if they fail to do so'.

      Following the KCNA is great fun.

  4. Re:I know I'm going to be modded down by interkin3tic · · Score: 1

    I think you'll actually be modded down to -5 (extreme failure in reading). I realize it did have "Naro space center" but the headline is "South Korea's first rocket," so either you were -trying- to see that or you have really bad reading skills.

  5. However by geekoid · · Score: 5, Interesting

    it went far enough to remind N.Korea that S.Korea has rockets.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    1. Re:However by Greyfox · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually I was unaware that S.Korea had rockets. Now I will go to them and demand a tribute of their technology! Hopefully I don't need to remind them that my words are backed by nuclear force!

      --

      I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

    2. Re:However by rm999 · · Score: 1

      I think all they need to remember is that one of South Korea's strongest economic and military allies has a few 100 missiles pointed in their general direction :)

    3. Re:However by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rot. North Korea needs no reminder of any of South Korea's military strength. The entire point of North Korean rocketry is to pressure nations beyond South Korea, mainly Japan and the US. There is no quid pro quo in this instance.

    4. Re:However by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      nice....

    5. Re:However by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Metal Gear!?
      http://www.originalsoundversion.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/metal_gear_cat.jpg

    6. Re:However by mkiwi · · Score: 0

      You will pay for your foolish pride!

    7. Re:However by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That may annoy them, though. Or perhaps they are on a friendly mood now?

    8. Re:However by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it went far enough to remind N.Korea that S.Korea has rockets.

      Nobody needs to be reminded of that. 600 years ago Koreans were leading the world in rocketry.

  6. Re:Ahn Myong-man, brother of the more famous by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I guess you weren't kept in the loop. Mr. Hyong-man has had a transgender operation and now goes by the name Dixie Wrecked

    --

    "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
  7. Speaking of firsts by JJTJR · · Score: 1

    The first sentence written by Matt_dk failed to pass spell checker...

    1. Re:Speaking of firsts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      nothing is misspelled. he is spelled right, so is that extra the. :)

  8. he the the? by Jeng · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm not a grammar nazi, but please. Misspelling the very first word in the summary? I could see if it was some complex word, but its THE, what next, is someone going to misspell A ?

    the the New York Times? It shouldn't be too hard for the mods to do a basic proofread of the summary before posting. Not that correcting the mistakes changes the content, but because correcting the mistakes doesn't change the content.

    --
    Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
    1. Re:he the the? by MozeeToby · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, Slashdot editors are uh failure of our educational system.

    2. Re:he the the? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      Looks more like a cut and paste error to me.

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    3. Re:he the the? by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Lighten up.
      It's just b typo.

  9. Even Gov't funded programs can fail... by LS1+Brains · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Call me a fan, but I've been watching with great interest in the new space-bound projects. Lots of folks (/. and elsewhere) tore up privately-funded programs such as Space-X when they have had mishaps, but this is a clear reminder "this space stuff" isn't exactly trivial.

    Speaking of Space-X, looks like they've actually been doing quite well, getting things reliably up in the air and on schedule. I can't wait for the day they (or anyone else in the private sector) can provide reliable human transport!

  10. 300mi South of Seoul? by pete-classic · · Score: 4, Interesting

    WTF? Naro and Seoul are damn near the two widest flung points in the R.o.K. This is a bit like describing NASA's Houston control facility as "1200 miles South West of Washington D.C." It's correct, but not particularly useful.

    -Peter

    1. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I notice that you didn't offer anything better.

    2. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by cmseagle · · Score: 1

      It's actually quite useful. While I doubt most people even know where Seoul is, it's a convenient marker. Sure, they could have said, "About 70 miles southeast of Gwanju." but I highly doubt that would've been any more useful.

    3. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by SlashDotDotDot · · Score: 2, Informative

      WTF? Naro and Seoul are damn near the two widest flung points in the R.o.K. This is a bit like describing NASA's Houston control facility as "1200 miles South West of Washington D.C." It's correct, but not particularly useful.

      It was a typo. They meant

      the Naro Space Center, located at http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Naro+Space+Center&ll=34.520136,127.644653&z=9

      but it came out

      the Naro Space Center, 300 miles south of the capital Seoul.

      The /. editors were too lazy to catch it.

      --
      /...
    4. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by jbudofsky · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually I think it is useful. The target audience for this article isn't necessarily familiar with Korean geography. If you were writing an article aimed at Koreans and you said Houston, which is near Hillshire Village, TX most of them would say "Where?" You have to choose recognizable landmarks even if they aren't the absolute closest place. I bet most Americans would have the same reaction.

    5. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by c6gunner · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Hey, honey, have you seen the remote control?"

      "Yeah, it's about 20 feet north of the front door!"

      Yep .... real useful.

    6. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by pete-classic · · Score: 3, Informative

      But someone who isn't familiar with Korean geography gains nothing from this description. They might have well said, "It's in the same country as Seoul." given the relative locations of the two points of interest. In fact that might have been less likely to lead someone to the wrong conclusions, given that calling out Seoul implies that it's the nearest point of interest.

      I might have said, "On the South West coast of South Korea." instead.

      In fact, I just realized that Nagasaki, Japan, which I think is reasonably well known in the US, is closer to the Naro Space Center than Seoul is!

      -Peter

    7. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by Anachragnome · · Score: 1

      "The /. editors were too lazy to catch it."

      What editors?

      Seriously. Leave the typos in place. The submitter should be held fully accountable for their own mistakes. The effort expended on the part of the writer is one of the ways I determine the amount of weight I give what they write. If the writer cannot be bothered to proofread, then maybe I shouldn't bother to read it to begin with.

      As far as the first letter missing from the summary, if it was a cut/paste error on the part of the /. admins (as I suspect it was. It is not that hard to miss the first letter when you are selecting text), then maybe I can see some MINOR bitching is in order. They are, after all, admins. They should be held to a slightly higher standard then the rest of us miscreants.

    8. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      In fact, I just realized that Nagasaki, Japan, which I think is reasonably well known in the US, is closer to the Naro Space Center than Seoul is!

      True enough. Alas, most Americans don't know where Nagasaki is, other than "somewhere in Japan".

      Seriously, Seoul is a good base position for anything in Korea (300 miles away? Hell, the State Capital is farther off for some of us)

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    9. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by Sir_Lewk · · Score: 1

      Wait, where is this "South Korea" you keep on talking about?

      --
      "linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
    10. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know if that's so 'Alas'. Knowing that Nagasaki is part of Japan and knowing at least a little of the history surrounding it should be sufficient. It's an awful big world out there, and I don't see why an intelligent person should cram their head full of geographical location data unless it's relevant to them personally.

    11. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by Hadlock · · Score: 1

      I think "island off the southern coast of Korea" would be more descriptive. I imagined Seoul to be more to the SW than it is. As an American born well before the Korean or Veitnam wars, the fact that I can place Seoul as being an asian country (really, it doesn't sound asian) other than the fact that they mention it in the TV show M*A*S*H a bunch of times is rather impressive. Most people just associate S. Korea as the place where DVD players and Kias are born before being shipped to their house.

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    12. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by Rudolf · · Score: 1

      the fact that I can place Seoul as being an asian country ... is rather impressive.
      I'm not impressed. Seoul is not an asian country. Or any country at all. It's a city in South Korea.

    13. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and there I was wondering how the remote ended up on the roof...

    14. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by Hadlock · · Score: 1

      being in

      --
      moox. for a new generation.
    15. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by dangitman · · Score: 1

      Curse you, and your directionally proficient girlfriend! I wish I could get that kind of accuracy around here.

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
    16. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      It's an awful big world out there, and I don't see why an intelligent person should cram their head full of geographical location data unless it's relevant to them personally.

      There speaks the "voice of reason" in opposition to the notion that people should be well-educated, as opposed to highly trained....

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
    17. Re:300mi South of Seoul? by pete-classic · · Score: 1

      Why choose? I'm highly trained at a few things, and have a working knowledge of many, many more.

      -Peter

  11. Don't believe a word of it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The satellite was sent into an alternate orbit so it can serve as a secret spy satellite with tin foil penetrating mind control ray generator.

  12. Re:I know I'm going to be modded down by eln · · Score: 1

    so either you were -trying- to see that or you have really bad reading skills.

    Now, now, don't be too hard on him...there's no reason it can't be both.

  13. Success?? by benjfowler · · Score: 4, Informative

    Ostensibly a failure for the South Koreans, since some kind of failure of staging caused the satellite to be inserted into the incorrect orbit. And in all likelihood, the perigee ended up being too low, causing the payload to be inserted into the ocean...

    The first stage is basically Russian hardware (Khrunichev), and is basically a flight test of the Angara common booster core with an advanced Russian LOX-kerosene RD-191 engine. Since the failure occurred *AFTER* staging, the failure most likely occurred in South Korean hardware.

    So if I were the South Koreans, I'd be fairly pissed right now. Although this is only a first attempt; anything space-related is bloody hard, and you've got to expect failures on brand new, untested hardware.

    On the other hand, if I were one of the Russian engineers responsible for the first stage, I'd be pretty pleased with the successful Angara flight test.

    (Although I'm not sure if I was the only one who saw the launch video, and saw the first stage pitch suddenly before clearing the tower and then pitch in the opposite direction. Didn't look good...)

    1. Re:Success?? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      So if I were the South Koreans, I'd be fairly pissed right now. Although this is only a first attempt; anything space-related is bloody hard, and you've got to expect failures on brand new, untested hardware.

      Since you used the British term "bloody", I'm going to assume that in the first sentence there you meant that the South Koreans should be moderately drunk. In which case I can only say that if I were the South Koreans, I'd be extremely pissed. And that has nothing to do with rockets.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    2. Re:Success?? by SleazyRidr · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's a total success. The summary says that the satellite is 22 miles higher than it's supposed to be. They're just being conservative, and allowing some room if it falls a bit.

      --
      Is 1563649 a prime number?
    3. Re:Success?? by Anachragnome · · Score: 1

      "(Although I'm not sure if I was the only one who saw the launch video, and saw the first stage pitch suddenly before clearing the tower and then pitch in the opposite direction. Didn't look good...)"

      I agree. I seem to recall a similar looking launch (Russian?) that ended up in fuel and debris raining back onto the launch facilities resulting in the deaths of many on the ground.

      When I started watching the video my first thought was "Uh oh", but guidance managed to correct the pitch changes.

      Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the pitch changes have effected over-all thrust? Was too much fuel wasted as a result of the corrections to allow for proper altitude?

      Just because you have a perfectly working stage, faulty guidance could make that a moot point, one might think.

    4. Re:Success?? by Wierdy1024 · · Score: 1

      I assume you're British, in which case you should know that over here pissed means a multitude of things, one of which means angry - clearly the intended meaning here.

      Just because he's British doesn't mean he has to exclusively use the British alternative, my good sirs!

    5. Re:Success?? by Chris+Burke · · Score: 1

      I assume you're British, in which case you should know that over here pissed means a multitude of things, one of which means angry - clearly the intended meaning here.

      I'm not British (though I love the word "bloody") though it's true I knew that, but it was funnier if it was "pissed as in drunk". :)

      Just because he's British doesn't mean he has to exclusively use the British alternative, my good sirs!

      Nonsense. Didn't the UN just pass a resolution about that? If not they should have.

      --

      The enemies of Democracy are
    6. Re:Success?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I gather it is higher than it should be rather than lower. They would normally have some margin on the available specific impulse to allow for contingencies.

      But yes, large corrections like that are not good, they put large bending loads into the structure and failures have been known to result. There is also a limit to the amount of correction available from the engine gimbals. One of our lecturers at University had done some work on this kind of stuff which made his lectures interesting. Actually it is quite educational looking at the various rocket explosions available on utube and trying to work out what went wrong. One of the favourite types of blowup (for instance as far back as Vanguard) seems to be a loss of thrust just as the rocket is released from the launch pad. So the engines start up, the rocket starts to lift off the pad, then drops slowly back down into the pit below. Of course there is a limit to how far it can go down...

      I know lots of progress has been made, but those who ride rockets are very brave men and women.

  14. The most typing-challenged man in the world by Em+Emalb · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't always make a bunch of basic spelling mistakes in my submissions to Slashdot, but when I do, I drink Dos Equis.

    --
    Sent from your iPad.
    1. Re:The most typing-challenged man in the world by oatworm · · Score: 1

      Stay thristy, my freind.

  15. Here's what I want to know... by mythandros · · Score: 1

    Does this mean that the satellite will enter orbit but with an undesired geometry or will it achieve splashdown far earlier than expected? I suppose that there's another alternative that both amuses and appalls me: that South Korea just fired off millions of dollars of taxpayer money into deep space. I mean, they could have achieved the same result by wrapping up 100 kg of cash in duct tape and fire it into Jupiter, right below the sign that says "put litter in it's place" with a Neptune sized arrow that pointing at the red spot.

    1. Re:Here's what I want to know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Does this mean that the satellite will enter orbit but with an undesired geometry or will it achieve splashdown far earlier than expected

      It means it achieved an orbit directly ove North Korea.

    2. Re:Here's what I want to know... by aqk · · Score: 0

      Why would you want to "put litter in it is place"?

      Stop using apostrophes, you GrammarNazi failure!
      If you are not sure, DO NOT use any apostrophes at ALL!
      ANYWHERE! Grrr....
      Apostrophes are reserved ONLY for those whose first language is English. Got it?
      My apologies, if your first language is not English. But sadly, I suspect it is.

      --

      .
      - aqk
      F U /. illiterates.
  16. Difference between a rocket and missle test? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What is the difference between a rocket and missile test?

    Depends on whether it is done below or above the 38th Parallel.

    1. Re:Difference between a rocket and missle test? by tin_wood_man · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Satellites are launched with rockets. Missles blow stuff up.

    2. Re:Difference between a rocket and missle test? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey man, life is like that. Best you can do is to try not to be one of the "useful idiots".

    3. Re:Difference between a rocket and missle test? by oatworm · · Score: 1

      Projectile dysfunction disorder. Basically, does it stay up? If so, it's a rocket test. If it doesn't, it's a missile test.

    4. Re:Difference between a rocket and missle test? by Eighty7 · · Score: 1

      Actually if anyone has bought into the world economy, it's south korea. And they know very well you can't make it happen without peace (with everyone who can fight back).

  17. by the way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I just wanted to point out that the satellite failed to reach its designated, target, or intended orbit.

  18. Outsourcing by Macrat · · Score: 1

    Maybe they outsourced the launch like NASA is proposing to do.

  19. If at first you don't succeed, by simoncpu+was+here · · Score: 0

    try again. I wish South Korea the best of luck!

  20. Re:N.K No humans left? by aqk · · Score: 0

    Sounds good to me....

    SEVEN BILLION is a tad too many, in my estimation...
    7 BILLION! Think about it.
    And some freaks still say each egg and spermatozoa is "sacred".....

    --

    .
    - aqk
    F U /. illiterates.
  21. Why? by aqk · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Why is South Korea allowed to launch space vehicles, and if North Korea does this, they are condemned by uhh.. . OK, by the USA. And Japan and.. uhh... South Korea?
    Can only the USA toadies be allowed to launch ICBMs?

    --

    .
    - aqk
    F U /. illiterates.
    1. Re:Why? by Weedhopper · · Score: 2

      Does your payload blow shit up or does it take pictures? You don't think there's a difference between the two? Don't give me shit about military applications of spy satellites. There's a fundamental difference.

  22. I'm pretty sure I know what's wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They forgot to construct additional pylons.

  23. Who built it? by Phoghat · · Score: 1

    They should have had it built by Hundyai and made it look like a Genesis coupe

    --
    Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
  24. Re:Sometimes they just say th(but maybe it's true) by Informative · · Score: 2, Informative

    South Korea bumbled its way into the Asian space race Tuesday...It seems that the KSLV-1 first stage, developed by the experienced Russians, worked perfectly. However, the rocket's Korean-made second stage, which was supposed to carry and push the satellite into its place, apparently had some issues.

    http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2009/08/129_50676.html

    In a video session disclosed only to a limited number of reporters Wednesday, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the country's space agency, revealed footage taken from two built-in cameras planted on the KSLV-1 second stage...The second-stage tumbled back to Earth, and the satellite soon followed, as the remaining fairing was heavy enough to prevent the rocket from achieving desired speed and pushing the satellite to a speed faster than 8 kilometers per second that was required for the spacecraft to remain in orbit,'' Park Jeong-joo, who heads KARI's KSLV systems unit, said.

    http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2009/08/129_50747.html

    Russian officials cited by "Interfax" are claiming the vehicle failed during second stage flight.

    http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2009/08/south-korea-launch-of-kslv-1/

  25. Re:Sometimes they just say th(but maybe it's true) by Theoboley · · Score: 1

    Leave it to korea to make something that doesn't completely work right. I'm looking at you, KIA Motors.

    --
    Stupidity only gets you so far, then you've gotta try
  26. Hey, It's Only 22 Miles! by Toad-san · · Score: 1

    22 miles further out? Hell, that's not a problem. Give it a while and the orbit will decay, right? Of course it might not be geostationary, which means it might not end up exactly where they want it. Or it might die of old age before the orbit decays enough.

    No engines on the satellite to make orbital adjustments? Tch, cheapskateskis!

    Now if it were 22 miles LOW ... I'd worry.

    Toad

  27. Maybe.. by Nuclear.Wolf · · Score: 0

    Looks like the rocket stopped thinking happy thoughts.

  28. Best of luck to the South Koreans! by Benfea · · Score: 1

    Goodness knows America and the Russians/Soviets had our share of staggering failures in our respective space programs, and launching something into orbit should be well within the capabilities of the South Koreans.

  29. Korea No. 1! by jhylkema · · Score: 1

    Korean peaceful people! Japanese negative three!