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NASA Worker Falls To His Death On Launch Pad
RedEaredSlider writes "Tragedy has struck NASA as the organization announced a space shuttle worker fell to his death at the Endeavour launch pad this morning. NASA said the United Space Alliance worker fell at approximately 7:40 am eastern at the NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. The launch pad is currently holding the space shuttle Endeavour, which is slated to launch on April 19."
Well,
I hope he died doing what he loved. It's the least any of us can ask for.
Dude. Not funny.
Someone is dead ... stop being such a dick.
Truly sad news :( having met few workers at Kennedy Space Center right after Discovery last launch, I have no doubt he died doing what he loved. From astronaut to tour guide bus driver, KSC employees proud of what they're part of. Sad day for Brevard Co residents.
o_O
That's really awful. But... Aren't these guys supposed to be clipped in when they're working up there?
It's gotta be NASA. How did this happen?
There is no -1 Disagree.
His name is Robert Paulson
it was the last lauch for _discovery_. atlantis and endeavour still have one launch each on the schedule
What ? Me, worry ?
The mission that just ended was the last flight of Discovery. The other two shuttles each have one final flight before they two are sent to museums.
âoeAny society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
Where was his harness and shock-cord? I have seen contractors get BIG whammies for letting workers "strap out", and this at only 35ft. This guy should have fallen about eight feet and suffered a cracked rib or two from the shock-cord snapping him a bit, but a fall to the death? At a NASA facility? That would require CCCPish levels of idiocy.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have backups to corrupt.
A miscalculation caused a slip.
Another metric vs english measurement unit malfunction for NASA?
Yes. He was thinking in SI units and turned out the problem was in .... feet.
Yes, I'm going to Hell.
This makes me sad, but I have to wonder how this is "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters.
To get meta it's not what you think matters. But it sure is something I'm glad i read.
This is the last launch of the shuttle. It was supposed to be the height of tech, yet we lost two shuttle crews and two shuttles. Losing another person before the launch just adds another layer to the sadness about the launch. Not only will we lose the ability of manned flight for some time, but a bunch of very smart engineers will be out of work. And more abstract, we lose a bit of the shine on our national tech halo.
All of this makes this launch very important, and a death now attached to it even more significant.
I don't think you're a dick, but i do wonder why you're complaining about it. To open the story and comment on it takes a lot more effort than just ignoring it completely.
How it matters is that space mission funding is precarious, and the equipment is easily damaged. A death on the launch pad will not be brushed aside. It will be a thorough investigation with potential delays in the mission, and implications on future funding decisions if the mission is delayed. Moreso, if something was damaged in the accident, the mission might be scrubbed for an indeterminate amount of time.
However, the focus of the story is on human tragedy, and the life that ended, leaving it up to the reader to realise what this could mean. I realize that means you'd have to actually put some thought in, but this is Slashdot. Commenters are supposed to be fairly intelligent folk.
Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
Basically the rule says that if the shuttle is going to an orbit where it can rendezvous with ISS, that a backup has to be able to reach ISS within 28 days. During that time, the astronauts can stay there, but beyond 28 days, ISS can't really handle the extra crew.
If the shuttle mission is to an orbit where rendezvous is NOT possible, a vessel has to be ready to go more or less immediately (7 days if I recall).
Since the Columbia disaster, I believe only one mission was to a non-ISS orbit. (The final Hubble Space Telescope upgrade mission) This is the only time that two shuttles were on the pad simultaneously.
Now for the specific situation going on now:
The next flight will be Endeavour, and Atlantis will be the designated rescue shuttle.
Atlantis will fly the final mission of the shuttle program, (if the funding is approved) and there will be no space shuttle available as a backup. Because of this, Atlantis will only be carrying a crew of 4 so if something goes wrong with it, they can recover the crew via Russian capsule(s) while the four stay at ISS.
Touch everywhere, even when inappropriate.
Personally, I don't find falling off a launch pad newsworthy for Slashdot. It was an industrial accident, pure and simple. If someone were standing on the pad when the engines fired, that would be dramatically bizarre enough to be newsworthy.
FWIW, I don't intend to make a joke of this. Even if it's not "news", this was a real, live person, and his passing, family, and friends deserve respectful treatment. Someday I'll die, too, and I don't expect my passing to be newsworthy, either.
Nah, that makes sense. After all, NASA's all about getting things high.
Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.