Mojave explosion investigation continues

There are few new developments into the investigation of the fatal explosion last week in Mojave. The Bakersfield Californian reports that Cal/OSHA investigators continued their work at the airport, a process that is expected to last a few weeks. The three injured Scaled Composites employees remain hospitalized, two in critical condition and one in fair condition.

Scaled’s web site is back online with information about the accident and support fund donation details.

A brief editorial in the Colorado Springs Gazette Tuesday is largely supportive of the emerging industry in spite of the accident. The accident “a reminder – for those who need it – that sending humans into orbit isn’t an easy or risk-free endeavor whether it’s undertaken by the private or the public sector,” the newspaper writes (nevermind that SpaceShipTwo is actually a suborbital vehicle). “But we doubt it will set the effort back for long.”

Remembering the past, planning for the future

In this week’s issue of The Space Review, Tim Pickens recalls his good friend, Glen May, one of the three people who died in the explosion Thursday in Mojave. The two had worked together on the SpaceShipOne propulsion development effort several years ago. “Anyone who has seen SpaceShipOne tested or flown should think of Glen,” Tim writes. “He was involved in about every aspect of that program.”

Last week’s accident raises another question: what will happen when there’s an actual spacecraft accident, one that may involve the death of the people onboard? I review a session of the recent NewSpace 2007 conference that covered this issue from the viewpoints of the investigator, insurer, attorney, and industry official. While it’s a scenario no one is fond of thinking about, it is something that has to be considered and planned for; fortunately, people in the industry are doing that.

Scaled family support fund

Courtesy of the NSS is the following information about a fund to support the families of those killed and injured in the Thursday explosion in Mojave:

Scaled has announced information on a fund for those who wish to support the families of the deceased as well as the injured and their families.

The National Space Society urges all of its members and the broader space community to give generously to support these heroes.

Please send contributions to:
Scaled Family Support Fund
c/o Scaled Composites
1624 Flight Line
Mojave, CA. 93501

Acct # 04157-66832

Wire transfer ABA Routing #1220-0066-1

Please make checks payable to the account
number or to the name of the fund.

The NSS has also issued its own statement about the accident:

America was built on the courage of those who dared to explore new frontiers. From Lewis and Clark to the Apollo astronauts, great men and women have tested themselves against the frontiers of their age.

In the course of their efforts, these heroes may pay the ultimate cost, as they did yesterday in Mojave. When that happens, it is the highest duty of all of us to care for the injured, to mourn the departed, and to care for the families. An honest investigation must be conducted to learn what went wrong, and to fix the cause so that it does not happen again.

But when the investigation finished, our duty is to carry on the work of those heroes, to redouble our efforts to scale the peaks that they were climbing. That is what we learned from Apollo 1. That is what they would want.

The frontier of space is far from tamed. The men and women of Scaled Composites are engaged in one of the great efforts of our time: opening space for all humanity. That is a noble pursuit, perhaps the most noble of all, and we must all be thankful for their work, and for their sacrifice.

Let us not shirk from what happened yesterday. Professionals will find the cause. The program will continue. The effort to open space cannot be stopped. Now is the time to honor those men by honoring the cause that they were engaged in. Those of us who are part of this great endeavor, whether as participants or as supporters, let us carry forward this message of perseverance to our own communities, to our elected leaders and to the media. Now more than ever, the nation needs to hear your voices.

PSF updates its Mojave statement

The Personal Spaceflight Federation issued Saturday an updated statement on Thursday’s accident in Mojave. The statement builds upon the brief statement issued by the organization and includes these key bullet points:

  • We will always be open and honest to the public and our customers about the risks of our activities and about any incidents that may occur.
  • If there is an incident, a proper and methodical investigation will be conducted to determine the cause.
  • We will apply the lessons of the investigation now underway and work to prevent this from happening again.
  • We will persevere – we believe that we can best honor those pioneers who were involved by carrying on their work.

The statement is signed by representatives of 16 of the PSF’s member organizations, including Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites and Alex Tai of Virgin Galactic. The PSF has 18 members; the two organizations not included in the latest statement are Blue Origin and the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority.

Reaction to the Mojave accident

A recap of responses to Thursday’s explosion in Mojave:

The Personal Spaceflight Federation released a brief statement about the accident: “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families and those injured or lost in today’s incident. We will await the results of the investigation before further comment, but we have complete confidence that the causes of the incident will be found in due course.”

The X Prize Foundation also issued a short statement: “We were devastated to learn about the heartbreaking loss that took place at Scaled Composites yesterday. Our hearts go out to all the families in Mojave who are working through this tragedy. It is a sad reality that pushing the boundaries of exploration involves great risk. These people are true pioneers and it is our hope that the spirit of exploration they embody will love on.”

It isn’t on the company’s web site, but the LA Daily News reports that Northrop Grumman, the company in the process of buying Scaled, issued a statement about the accident on Friday. “Northrop Grumman extends our condolences to the people of Scaled Composites and share in their grief and sadness with the loss and injuries of their co-workers,” the Daily News quotes from the statement.

The Space Frontier Foundation issued a press release calling for the “NewSpace movement” to press ahead despite the accident. “Whatever the cause of this tragic event was, they will get to the bottom of it, fix the problem, and then make their spaceship fly,” said Foundation co-founder Jim Muncy. “It will be the best possible way to honor their sacrifice.”

There is supposed to be a statement about the accident on Scaled Composites’ web site, but as of Saturday morning the site appears to be down, perhaps from heavy traffic.

Mojave updates: investigation underway, remembering the fallen

Today’s Bakersfield Californian has a roundup on the latest developments in the explosion Thursday afternoon at Mojave Air and Space Port. Cal/OSHA investigators were at the scene of the accident to begin work studying the cause. According to a spokesperson for the investigators, the accident took place when the Scaled team was venting 4,500 kg (10,000 lbs) of nitrous oxide in a 15-second test of a propellant injector system. The investigation is expected to take up to six months.

Three people remain in the hospital in Bakersfield, two in critical condition and one in serious. The names of the injured haven’t been released, although the Californian identifies one of them as Evgeniy Gisin. The paper also has profiles of the three people who died in the accident: Eric Blackwell, Todd Ivens, and Charles Glen May.

NM delays spaceport announcement

Spaceport America officials in New Mexico were scheduled to announce the winner of architectural and engineering contracts for the new commercial spaceport, but, in light of Thursday’s accident in Mojave, that announcement has been postponed until a date TBD. “In light of the tragedy at Mojave Air and Space Port, we feel that it is important now to turn our complete attention, prayers and thoughts to the families and friends of the workers who lost their lives,” outgoing New Mexico Spaceport Authority executive director Rick Homans said in a statement quoted by the Las Cruces Sun-News.

Update on fatal Mojave Airport explosion

Here’s a brief summary of what’s known about the explosion that took place Thursday afternoon at Mojave Air and Space Port, based on reports in the Bakersfield Californian, LA Times, and LA Daily News, the most detailed accounts so far:

  • Three people have been killed, two at the scene of the explosion and one later, after surgery.
  • Three are injured, two in critical condition and one in serious condition.
  • All of the casualties are employees of Scaled Composites, and the explosion took place at a test site operated by the company.
  • The explosion took place while the workers were performing a “cold flow” test to see how nitrous oxide flowed through the system. The nitrous oxide was under pressure but there was nothing to ignite the propellant.
  • Burt Rutan, at a press conference Thursday night, said that they had performed similar tests a number of times in the past without incident and believed it to be safe. He said he couldn’t speculate on the cause of the explosion.
  • Rutan refused to comment on what effect this would have on the development of SpaceShipTwo, saying that the company has declined to answer questions about that development for a year and a half. “I suddenly don’t have a change for that.”

Fatal explosion at Mojave Airport

According to local media reports, there has been a fatal explosion at a rocket test stand at Mojave Airport, home to a number of entrepreneurial space companies. Two people were killed and four people were injured. The company involved hasn’t been identified; according to an amalgam of the sketchy reports available so far, it involved a nitrous oxide “flash explosion” on a test stand.

Here are a collection of various reports available so far:

Update 8 pm EDT: According to KBAK-TV, the explosion took place at a Scaled Composites facility at the airport, but the TV station said they didn’t know yet if any Scaled employees were among the casualties.

No formal Northrop/Scaled announcement yet; perhaps today?

Although Virgin Galactic’s Alex Tai said Saturday that a formal announcement of Northrop Grumman’s acquisition of Scaled Composites would come on Monday, none of the companies involved made a press release or other official announcement about the deal on Monday. It is possible, though, that the announcement may come today, since Northrop will release its second quarter financial results and hold a conference call with financial analysts. Expect the deal to come up in the Q&A if the company doesn’t mention it in its earnings release.

Update: It turns out the Scaled acquisition did not come up during Tuesday’s conference call. So much for my predictive skills…

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