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Brazilian Rocket Explodes on Launch Pad

Posted by michael on from the try-try-again dept.

steman writes "BBC News Online says that 16 people have been killed and a Brazillian space rocket was destroyed in an explosion in Brazil. It seems that the space race is heating up again, with many countries getting involved such as China, Europe and Japan to name just three. Will the future of space exploration be dominated by names other than Russia and the USA?"

7 of 546 comments (clear)

  1. Since when... by ArchAngelQ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    is Europe just one contry? I'm all for conciceness, and yes, Europe is becoming peaceful and in many ways a single, strong political force, but the contries in Europe are far from being a single contry.

  2. Europe is a continent by brrrrrrt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can someone please change the insinuation in the text that Europe is a country? For heavens' sake, I thought it was just braindead American tourists that visit our "country" who thought this, not Slashdot editors.

  3. Like, WTF? by tietokone-olmi · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So. About a year ago, give or take a little, a NASA shuttle breaks apart and goes kaboom on re-entry. A couple of fucking big articles appear on slarshdot, it's like a national day of mourning is declared and shit. That's OK -- after all, people died and the US warmongering neo-conservative bureaucrat assholes got yet another reason to cut funding to space exploration and related technologies.

    But now, a Brazilian launch vehicle explodes, on the pad no less (think Challenger, only a bit sooner) and all those 16 dead people merit are one measly link, a couple of phrases in a slashdot heading (half of which is speculation about the future of missions to space from an unbelievably US-centric viewpoint) and not much else. Like, what the fuck?

    1. Re:Like, WTF? by orbbro · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes, it has to be said: This submission was incredibly insensitive.

      Interestingly, about as many people (~20) died in this Brazilian accident as died in the history of NASA events (17), according to this article.

      So, stemen is saying, in effect, Brazil just lost as many people as (or more than) NASA ever did, but let's ignore that and ridiculously speculate about the USA's future potential for space dominance.

      Sweet.

      --
      "It's an erotic, spectacular scene that captures the thrusting, violent, vibrant world Bohemian spirit..."
    2. Re:Like, WTF? by wheezl · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think this illustrates how nationalistic space excursions are even to this day. Which futher illustrates how best to sell such space programs to the rest of the US. My first reaction was that 16 (update 20) technicians had died. They work on cool, sexy, and dangerous rockets. I work with UNIX, video, and industrial robots. My first reaction was "20 people a lot like me died today". Brazilian, Chinese, Indian, North American, Whomever......

      They probably didn't read Slashdot.. but those were our peeps that went down.

      That's the way to think about it.

      p.s. and no there will be no 8 hour special on any channel about what happened or who died. For one it happened in Brazil..... for another, the news media (and the general populace) doesn't give a rat's ass about the technicians.

      --
      -- oh.... so..... sleeeeeepy.
  4. columbia by seanadams.com · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The day columbia came down, I was talking to a friend of mine and for some reason it occurred to me (trying to cheer her up) to say "at least they pulled off a sucessful mission up to that point". It was just my way of trying to see the silver lining (and I still feel that way), but she glared at me like I was the most callous prick in the world.

    Sorry, but mankind will never achieve anything in space if we're not willing to sacrifice lives and money to get there. I salute the brave men and women with the courage and the talent to go, especially these Brazilians who have the balls to keep trying these dangerous satellite launches under a new space program.

  5. it's a shame... by dangil · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... but none will remember the names of those brave 20 Brazillian rocket scientists who died today... and they had to work on much worst conditions than every other american / european / japanese scientist... Brazil does not expends tons of cash on space exploration like those other countries does... so they deserv much more respect.... they had to love their job... really...

    everyone remembers the name of those "brave american explorers", but everybody forgets those "poor bastars down there".....

    and yes, I live in Brasil.. BRASIL ... not Brazil... BRASIL...

    - Orgulho de ser Brasileiro!!! - Ouviram do Ipiranga as margens placida de um povo heroico um brado retumbante...