news reports of an explosion killing two people at the Scaled Composites (makers of
"http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/index.htm">SpaceShipOne) facility at the spaceport in Mojave, near Edwards AFB Ca.
Sounds like a fuel tank rupture, four people injured.
SF Chronicle report - they say it was a NOX explosion.
No info yet on who, everyone echoing the same AP story.
Rich (yes he is a relation) Pournelle from Xcor say they are not affected.
Rand at transterrestrial has running updates
Hope they recover from this.
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Also, bad timing - a few days after Branson announced that his family would get a ride, I believe. Not the best context in the future besides being an excellent card already played.
Mars rovers close to being trashed in a dust bin, too. The science/NASA problems you mention. Suspected repeated drunk driving of the shuttle. Rumors of the first discovery of eventual sabotaged material for the space station.
Gloom, doom and tragedies. Is there any more near time problems in store for space ventures, one wonders?
"drunk driving" - well, drunk passengers, at least.
Sad news -- the accident claimed its victim: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/27/spaceport.blast/index.html?iref=topnews
Bottle-to-throttle: don't orbit drunk.
Alcohol and hydrazine don't mix.