Condolences 

Ten people were killed yesterday during a fire at the Indian Space Research Organization's Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant. The fire occurred while a test motor was being transported. We offer our condolences to ISRO during this time of great loss.
It's worth noting, however, that ISRO does not have a manned space program--meaning that this tragedy is linked solely to unmanned spaceflight. For all the talk last year about how manned spaceflight is too dangerous, so we should stick to far safer unmanned flight, in this one incident, more people were killed than have died in connection with manned spaceflight in 18 years. And, this is far from an isolated incedent--for example, even more people were killed in a launch-related tragedy in Brazil last year.

:: :: 09:04 :: David :: [permalink] ::