It's Titan IV time at Whitakers: Steve Mashburn's magnificent scale Titan IV takes to the sky on a central Aerotech M1939 and two outboard L850s at Whitakers in North Carolina on Saturday, June 25, 2005.
The 140-pound, 15-foot-tall Titan IV thundered off the pad with the simultaneous ignition of all three massive motors. The plan was for the boosters to drop at 2,500 feet and for the main rocket to reach 6,500 feet.
A few seconds after liftoff, the mighty Titan veers off course. The instant after the last photo in this sequence, the rocket boosters separated and crashed. The main rocket was severely damaged.
It was a terrific flight, but the outcome was not what Steve and his crew expected. Still, when you are pushing the envelope, things do not always go as planned. Stay tuned for more photos.
