[AR] FW: [NASA HQ News] NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Completes Initial Assessment after Orbital Launch Mishap
- From: "Anthony Cesaroni" <acesaroni@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 10:51:49 -0400
FYI.
Anthony J. Cesaroni
President/CEO
Cesaroni Technology/Cesaroni Aerospace
<http://www.cesaronitech.com/> http://www.cesaronitech.com/
(941) 360-3100 x101 Sarasota
(905) 887-2370 x222 Toronto
From: hqnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:hqnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2014 7:23 PM
To: hqnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [NASA HQ News] NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Completes Initial
Assessment after Orbital Launch Mishap
October 29, 2014
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Completes Initial Assessment after Orbital
Launch Mishap
<http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/launch-pad-looking-south-after-failure.jpg>
Wallops launch pad looking south after launch failure
An aerial view of the Wallops Island launch facilities taken by the Wallops
Incident Response Team Oct. 29 following the failed launch attempt of Orbital
Science Corp.'s Antares rocket Oct. 28.
Image Credit: NASA/Terry Zaperach
The Wallops Incident Response Team completed today an initial assessment of
Wallops Island, Virginia, following the catastrophic failure of Orbital Science
Corp.’s Antares rocket shortly after liftoff at 6:22 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Oct. 28,
from Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight
Facility in Virginia.
“I want to praise the launch team, range safety, all of our emergency
responders and those who provided mutual aid and support on a
highly-professional response that ensured the safety of our most important
resource -- our people,” said Bill Wrobel, Wallops director. “In the coming
days and weeks ahead, we'll continue to assess the damage on the island and
begin the process of moving forward to restore our space launch capabilities.
There's no doubt in my mind that we will rebound stronger than ever.”
The initial assessment is a cursory look; it will take many more weeks to
further understand and analyze the full extent of the effects of the event. A
number of support buildings in the immediate area have broken windows and
imploded doors. A sounding rocket launcher adjacent to the pad, and buildings
nearest the pad, suffered the most severe damage.
At Pad 0A the initial assessment showed damage to the transporter erector
launcher and lightning suppression rods, as well as debris around the pad.
The Wallops team also met with a group of state and local officials, including
the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Department of
Emergency Management, the Virginia Marine Police, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Wallops environmental team also is conducting assessments at the site.
Preliminary observations are that the environmental effects of the launch
failure were largely contained within the southern third of Wallops Island, in
the area immediately adjacent to the pad. Immediately after the incident, the
Wallops’ industrial hygienist collected air samples at the Wallops mainland
area, the Highway 175 causeway, and on Chincoteague Island. No hazardous
substances were detected at the sampled locations.
Additional air, soil and water samples will be collected from the incident area
as well as at control sites for comparative analysis.
The Coast Guard and Virginia Marine Resources Commission reported today they
have not observed any obvious signs of water pollution, such as oil sheens.
Furthermore, initial assessments have not revealed any obvious impacts to fish
or wildlife resources. The Incident Response Team continues to monitor and
assess.
Following the initial assessment, the response team will open the area of
Wallops Island, north of the island flagpole opposite of the launch pad
location, to allow the U.S. Navy to return back to work.
Anyone who finds debris or damage to their property in the vicinity of the
launch mishap is cautioned to stay away from it and call the Incident Response
Team at 757-824-1295.
Further updates on the situation and the progress of the ongoing investigation
will be available at:
http://www.orbital.com
and
http://www.nasa.gov/orbital
-end-
Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
stephanie.schierholz@xxxxxxxx
Keith Koehler
Wallops Flight Facility, Va.
757-824-1579
keith.a.koehler@xxxxxxxx
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