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Fatal Fire at Indian Space Center

Posted by michael on from the handle-with-care dept.

JJP writes "The BBC reports that a fire has ripped through India's main space centre killing at least six people. Apparently an explosion triggered the fire at a solid propellant plant, where advanced rocket fuel is prepared. The fire at Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota is reported to be under control."

14 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. Remember... by Stone+Rhino · · Score: 5, Informative

    It could have been worse. Whenever you work with highly flammable materials, this is the risk that you take. It can be mitigated by proper safety procedures, but never fully eliminated. These workers paid the ultimate price for a lapse somewhere in the chain of safety.

    --


    Remember, there were no nuclear weapons before women were allowed to vote.
    1. Re:Remember... by beeplet · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Thanks for the link. That's a fascinating read. The one thing that it calls to my mind, though, is not the inherent risks of flammable materials, but the way in which small problems, ignored by people in charge, can accumulate until the conditions for a disaster are reached... Not so much a lapse in the chain of safety, but a combined weakening of many links...

  2. Lots of fires in our early Rocket program, too by justanyone · · Score: 5, Interesting

    We had quite a lot of rather disastrous fires in our early rocket programs, too. Since many were military, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't all revealed to the public as 'rocketry disasters' instead of being 'experimental failures' or 'military accidents'.

    I believe I speak for all space enthusiasts (ok this is unrealistic) when I offer our condolences on the tragic loss of life in India. Progress has costs, and hopefully the cost of these lives will buy improvements in the knowledge about, and operational safety with, rocket technologies.

    "We choose to go to the moon and do these other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard." John Kennedy knew that it's important to dedicate onself to a noble task and boldly pursue it. I hope India's space program advances on those noble goals we all set, the lifting of humanity from the face of this humble rock to the place where the real action is, Space.

    -- Kevin J. Rice

    --
    Unitarian Church: Freethinkers Congregate!
    1. Re:Lots of fires in our early Rocket program, too by justanyone · · Score: 4, Interesting

      A common early rocket fuel / oxidizer was Kerosene with Red Fuming Nitric Acid, which was obviously quite NASTY stuff. A technical link to this is here.

      I've read that the people who fueled these rockets had to know (a) exactly what to wear because some rubber was eaten by the acid and other protective gear was not, and (b) exactly which way the wind was blowing at all times so they could run upwind if there was a spillage. The stuff apparently became gaseous very quickly and a being in a cloud of nitric acid can ruin your whole day.

      --
      Unitarian Church: Freethinkers Congregate!
  3. I think... by Otter · · Score: 3, Informative
    ...a fire has ripped through India's main space centre...

    I think this is actually their primary launch facility, not the main center of the program. Presumably that's why it's on an island. Tragic, at any rate.

    --
    What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  4. ammonium perchlorate by Jru+Hym · · Score: 4, Informative

    Lucky for them they didn't have a large store of ammonium perchlorate go up. Remember this explosion in NV in '88

    --
    This lobster was alive when it hit the frothy, boiling water.
  5. compare it to columbia by egomaniac · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up, seven astronauts were killed. Brave people who knew the risks they were taking and had at least considered that they might not make it back alive.

    Six people died in this fire. We treated Columbia as a national tragedy, yet when six unknown Indians die, most people won't even notice. These were people who didn't expect to die, who hadn't told their loved ones those "Just in case I don't make it back..." last messages and prepared for the worst.

    My heart goes out to their families. Please try to have some respect for the dead. They were just as much a part of the space program as the Columbia astronauts were.

    --
    ZFS: because love is never having to say fsck
    1. Re:compare it to columbia by p4ul13 · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Not sure how to reply without sounding like a complete insensitive jerk, but I'll try:

      There is no question that this story is tragic, only a complete asshole would try to say otherwise. Tragic as it is, I think comparing it to the shuttle disaster isn't a good match in that while they're in related fields, they're in very different contexts.

      The Columbia explosion was something that we here in America (and elsewhere) were greatly affected by emotionally. It hit a chord with many different people because it involved "heros" and people doing things that most people can only dream about doing right now. This story about the explosion in India wont get as much press, but it isn't because it is any less tragic or any less important. Instead it is because it isn't as highly visible an event as Columbia was.

      Here's the point I wanted to make when I started this post, and I only hope folks don't take it the wrong way. People do of course die every day, and most every one of those deaths can be described as tragic to somebody. Every day a car crashes into another and 3-5 people die together. Is it tragic? Of course. Is it wrong that the rest of the world doesn't mourn the death of the people in those cars? No; because the car crash is not nearly as high-profile a story so not as many people hear about it.

      The Columbia disaster involved people who are publicly admired. The explosion in India involved people in more blue-collar jobs and hence wont be mourned as widely as Columbia, but that doesn't make it any less important.

      --
      Paul Lenhart writes words!
    2. Re:compare it to columbia by tekiegreg · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, at risk of sounding like a jerk as well, It only stands to reason that the further the degrees of separation from this incident, the less you'd really notice.

      Rocket goes boom in India, I wouldn't be surprised to see most of India mourning. However while I mourn the loss of life, it just doesn't sink in as bad as say Colombia going boom.

      On the flipside how many Indians truly stood up and took notice (or mourned even) when Colombia went boom? If I had to hazard a guess, not as many as today with their rocket. While I was probably more mournful of Colombia going boom than I am today.

      However this is nothing to be ashamed about otherwise ones life would be very depressing overall :-/. Granted that lots of tregedy happens each day, and the more sensitive you are to varying degrees of separation the more mourning you would do overall.

      --
      ...in bed
    3. Re:compare it to columbia by MasJ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Not to be harsh, mean or in a way breaking your bubble. But India mourned the Columbia as much, or more than you morons there. Get your facts right before opening your trap. Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian born woman in space was aboard the Columbia. She was as much a national hero to us as were your own astronauts and her loss was a great loss to our country. Sorry if I'm coming off really annoyed here, but it's offensive (atleast to me...) when people measure the value of life by the glamour/glory involved with an incident, and especially when they don't have a clear perspective on the incident because of misinformation... =/

    4. Re:compare it to columbia by raju · · Score: 3, Informative

      Kalpana Chawla, one of the astronauts in the ill-fated shuttle was of Indian descent. The Columbia accident was front-page news in India and many of the weekly magazines had cover articles on it. Ok, I admit, the Indian astronaut had a lot to do with it. In any case, India did mourn.

  6. The future by Tango42 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Firstly, my condolences to all involved. As everyone else has already said, but I'll repeat, this is a tragic event.

    However, this hopefully won't be the end of the Indian space efforts. When the SS Columbia was lost it brought NASA's manned space travel to almost a standstill, let's hope the Indians can work out what went wrong, ensure it won't happen again and carry on doing great work. If it all stops, their lives will have been for nothing.

    Not only does India need this to bring itself into a greater position in the internation scientific community, but the rest of the world needs it to encourage them to try as well.

    May they RIP.

  7. Press release from ISRO by Valluvan · · Score: 3, Informative

    is here.

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    Science as a way of life.
  8. Encouragement by leg_br · · Score: 2, Informative
    Not only does India need this to bring itself into a greater position in the internation scientific community, but the rest of the world needs it to encourage them to try as well
    Indeed. Unfortunately that's not what the media thinks about it.
    So, indians, no matter what you hear about it: keep working on it.
    There was a recent similar accident in 3rd world, also covered by slashdot