Rocket Blast 'Catastrophe' Is Not The First

The "catastophic" Antares explosion off the US east coast is not the first failure of a rocket used in a NASA mission.

Most pass off without any serious glitches, but a few infamous missions, such as the Challenger disaster and Apollo 13, have given the space agency some its darkest days - and even threatened to bring a halt to America's space programme.

:: Apollo 1 - 27 January, 1967

Three astronauts died when a fire broke out during a launch-pad test.

NASA eased up in its space race with the Soviets after the deaths of Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee and made crucial design and safety changes.

:: Apollo 13 - 13 April, 1970

Immortalised in the Hollywood blockbuster starring Tom Hanks, the spacecraft was crippled when a tank carrying liquid oxygen exploded and cut off its power.

Apollo 13 was heading for the moon on America's third landing mission.

The three astronauts survived by decamping to the lunar module until they were able to fly the main craft back to earth.

:: Challenger - 2 January, 1986

One of the most iconic news events of the 1980s - the shuttle violently broke up 73 seconds after lift-off at Florida's Cape Canaveral.

The devastating images were broadcast around the world.

Seven crew, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, were killed and the shuttle programme was shelved for nearly three years.

An investigation found the explosion was caused when an O-ring seal in one of the rocket boosters failed, allowing pressurised hot gas to escape.

:: Columbia - 1 February, 2003

Seven more astronauts died when the shuttle disintegrated on re-entry, spewing debris over Texas and Louisiana.

The shuttle's left wing was damaged during launch, said investigators, when foam insulation on the fuel tank broke off.

The damage meant gases from the atmosphere were able to penetrate and destroy the wing as it made its approach back to Earth.

:: Wallops Island - 22 August, 2008

Nasa destroyed another unmanned rocket by remote control just 27 seconds into its flight when it veered off course - again at Virginia's Wallops Island.

Carrying research satellites, it was downed to protect the public at a height of around 12,000ft (3,657m).

Experts said they did not know why it strayed from its flight path.