Posted on 01/18/2008 3:41:36 PM PST by BurbankKarl
The company that flew the first privately funded manned rocket into space has been cited in connection with an explosion last summer that killed three workers, the state said today.
California occupational safety inspectors said in a report that Scaled Composites LLC failed to properly train workers about the dangers of nitrous oxide that was used during a test in July.
The state levied three citations against Scaled, including two that were considered "serious," and fined the spaceship builder $25,870. The company has 15 days to pay or appeal.
Three workers died and three were seriously injured in the explosion at a remote testing facility in the Mojave Desert. The test was part of the development of a new rocket motor for SpaceShipTwo, a passenger vehicle that Mojave-based Scaled is building for Virgin Galactic.
Scaled said it has cooperated with the state and has since made changes to its work force training and procedures.
"Scaled Composites regrets that this accident occurred and we have expressed our condolences to the victims and their families," said Scaled Executive Vice President Doug Shane.
The company was founded in 1982 by maverick aerospace designer Burt Rutan. In 2004, Rutan's SpaceShipOne achieved a milestone in privately financed space flight by climbing more than 62 miles high on a suborbital journey above Mojave. SpaceShipOne went on to make two more flights to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
IF Scaled Composites LLC did not follow good business practices and that resulted in loss of life, they should be taken to task over it. I would want those charges to be justified and not trumped up.
While we’re at it, there are other agencies that have been allowed to skate by when loss of life was involved, and I don’t recall them being taken to task, EVER. I very much do think malfeasance was involved.
Ford Rouge plant routinely has a death toll every month. And not just 1 or 2 people.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard of it. At least I don’t recall having heard of it.
I just hope the damn lawyers don’t kill another company involved in breakthrough research. Those workers knew the dangers.
So how much was NASA fined and scolded over their eco-friendly initiative that resulted in the loss of one of the space shuttles, with all on board perishing as well?
http://michigan.gov/dleg/0,1607,7-154-10573_11472-52301—,00.html
http://www.the-spark.net/np708605.html
It was too depressing to find more for you. It’s considered routine here so it’s no longer a front page news item.
Thank God & Greyhound they don’t hold NASA to the same standards, or we wouldn’t have a space program at all.
These things take time to play out.
Yes they did, but did they know all safety options available to them? That’s a reasoned question to ask. I don’t like the idea of the company being damaged, but that’s all the more reason to comply with requirements. I am by no means stating they didn’t by the way.
Not good. Sorry to hear about that. Something’s rotten at the plant, if nothing more than best practices.
This is an example of how private space tourism is going to be very tough. It can be done, but accidents will be huge.
Space ping
If my perception is valid, with a host lifter and a drop plane, the stress on the aircraft/spacecraft should be kept to a minimum. Once the critical testing and development is over, there may be a minimum of problems with this program.
It would be my thought that done correctly, this might be about as safe as normal atmospheric flights today.
Do you think that’s wildly off base?
Probably reasonable to a point. But, others are also racing to get a share of this market. Once serious money shows up, serious results will be demanded.
That’s true. That could drive people to ignor the cooler heads.
Any serious accident would also drive the cost up considerably and cause delay, not what investors would want. Even NASA, with its Shuttle disasters, found costs way up, schedules destroyed, and even the ISS mission compromised. A private business would be hard pressed to keep going at all.
I would agree with that. I will also say that I think a certain concern got away with a lot more than Rutan did here though. Rutan didn’t know there was the posibility of a serious accident for ten days to two weeks, get notification of it, then ignore the issue until the inevitable took place. And that’s basicly how I see it. This not being addressed, I’m still smoldering over it.
The incident might not be over. It might be only beginning now that fault has been placed by gov’t. Civil suits may be starting, it’s possible if anyone wants.
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