This was a sure way to have gotten his rocket confiscated by the California Highway Patrol if spotted in on the roadway. Also, was it DOT legal to have solid-motor rockets (in the ballistic chute) transported like shown?
So from the video and still photo Mike had at least two chutes. Are these devices deployed by a mechanical cable/linkage or an electronic signal? By one chute prematurely deploying due to contact with the access ladder could that have disengaged the second? For a fail-safe system I would expect two independent paths.
Three chutes (red) with deployment rockets directly aimed at passersby. I do not know what state of arm they might have been in during transport. Green is damage to skirt.
Set off by pulling handle on end of wire cable. Solid rocket motors ignited by percussion primers. Insufficient slack in cable housing may cause unintended ignition.
Typical brand, probably not the same has used on this rocket.
Thanks jrs_87 for the clarification on the chute locations and the BRS chute info. The chutes should have been installed with independent deployment cables/linkages and based on the BRS info the deployment is straight-forward: pull the safety pin and pull the release handle. Mike may have been incapacitated and unable to respond to the situation . . .
Jrs_87 - thanks for another great link. Mike Hughes seemed to be quite a hands-on fabricator. The flat-earth hook seems like a fundraising tool - his enginineering was seat-of-the-pants "make it work" and his zeal and enthuiasm for what he was doing seemed quite real. Quite plausible he did not strengthen his seat mounts to account for the additional thrust and the structure had already been stressed a launch cycle or two.
