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NASA Worker Falls To His Death On Launch Pad

Posted by Soulskill on from the rest-in-peace dept.

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."

12 of 202 comments (clear)

  1. Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Well,

    I hope he died doing what he loved. It's the least any of us can ask for.

    1. Re:Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      On another note...anyone else find it interesting that 2 tragedies to people involved with this mission have already happened before it even launched? First the commander's wife gets shot, now some random worker falls to his death.

      Not really, you can find just as many dead people involved with a Superbowl, a racing event, or whatever else you like. Such "tragedies" are a fact of human life, they occur with statistical relevance.

    2. Re:Well... by Burning1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I say this as a guy who loves motorcycles... Think about them most of the day, commute on one, race one.

      I do not want to die 'doing what I love.' I would rather die quietly in my sleep at an old age. I take some solace in the fact that a falling death is probably one of the less painful 'accidental deaths, still... I would hope for much better.

    3. Re:Well... by Cinder6 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Paraphrasing a quote I can't quite remember well enough to attribute to anyone:

      I'm not afraid of heights. I can look up at them all day. It's depths that bother me.

      --
      If you can't convince them, convict them.
  2. Re:1...2...3...hold it by C0vardeAn0nim0 · · Score: 4, Informative

    it was the last lauch for _discovery_. atlantis and endeavour still have one launch each on the schedule

    --
    What ? Me, worry ?
  3. Re:1...2...3...hold it by ATestR · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.
  4. OSHA may have a field day here by subk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.
    1. Re:OSHA may have a field day here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Having worked at a national lab, I'm similarly amazed. The rules are very strict (e.g. you have to be safety-trained to even use a regular ladder to fetch something up high). For this to have happened, the worker must have been violating the safety rules. (It's possible, but much less likely, that there was some kind of equipment failure.) One thing the investigation will have to look into is whether this was just one employee breaking the rules, endangering himself, or whether higher-ups were aware of the corner-cutting and let it happen anyways. Or, worse, is a superior was pressuring him to complete certain work in an unsafe manner.

      Again, from my experience I would guess it was the worker himself who was side-stepping the rules. (I hate to sound like I'm blaming the victim, though...) Typically management get in so much trouble (and have to deal with so much paperwork and lost productivity from shutdowns) that they really do care about safety and DO NOT want anyone breaking a safety rule.

      Then again, I'm speaking in generalities. We'll have to wait and see what led to this particular tragedy.

  5. Re:It looks like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

  6. Re:Very sad news for Brevard by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have no doubt he died doing what he loved.

    Skydiving.

    --
    Support my political activism on Patreon.
  7. Re:1...2...3...hold it by PyroMosh · · Score: 4, Informative

    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.
  8. Re:Why? by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Informative

    That's really awful. But... Aren't these guys supposed to be clipped in when they're working up there?

    Apparently there are some contexts in which OHSA will allow free-climbing since tying in as actually more dangerous.

    A friend sent me this video a while back (sorry for the flash) ... it shows some guy climbing a really tall tower and not being tied on for the most part.

    Not for the faint of heart or people who really don't like heights. It's not something I'd be willing to do.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.