On a day when the local daily attempts to link the purchase of a local tooling company by a supplier of bolts to SpaceX and the boost in the economy of billionaire Elon Musk's commercial satellite launch pad, a bit of a wake-up call is given local residents by news that a rocket such as the one to be used here exploded in mid-air during a test over Central Texas.
The explosion of the unmanned SpaceX rocket came shortly after launch at the company's Central Texas development site.in McGregor, Texas, about 23 miles southeast of Waco. (to see a video of debris falling after the explosion, click on link.) http://nasawatch.com/archives/2014/08/video-spacex-gr.html
Locally, the daily is announcing that the purchase of Rio Grande Tool Co. by SpaceX supplier Paragon D&F, of Grand Rapids, Mich., is sign that industry is being attracted here by the announcement that Musk has chosen the site at Boca Chica to construct a commercial satellite launch pad.
The type of rocket that exploded in mid-air over McGregor, is the same as that being contemplated to propel commercial payloads into sub-orbit at Boca Chica Beach.
Whether the company will increase its business with SpaceX or not is still up in the air, but the explosion at the test site in McGregor should raise a red flag here.
McGregor, for example, does not sit near a beach or habitat known for a proliferation of endangered species. It is not near an industrial port with tanks of stored oil and petroleum products. It is also not near a storage area for hazardous chemicals or the InterCoastal waterway.
Boca Chica Beach is. What if one of those rockets blew up here?
CBS reported that Musk said in a Twitter posting the "three engine F9R Dev1 vehicle auto-terminated during test flight. No injuries or near injuries. Rockets are tricky..."
SpaceX uses a two-stage version of the Falcon 9 rocket to launch NASA space station resupply missions and commercial satellites. The Falcon 9 first stage uses nine Merlin 1D engines while the second stage uses a single engine.
SpaceX is scheduled to launch the AsiaSat 6 communications satellite next week from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, followed by launch of a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station on Sept. 19.
Company engineers carried out a launch pad first-stage engine "hot fire" test of the Falcon 9 slated for the AsiaSat flight Friday, but it's not yet clear what impact, if any, the Texas test failure might have on the upcoming launches.
10 comments:
I am not against space exploration, etc. I Am against the site Selected by Space X for these purposes 25 miles from downtown Bro. Tx. It (project ). poses a dangerous unsafe situation to the surrounding populace.
I like we give them incentives AFTER they decided to come here.
Why?
Hey, Montoya, Jim Barton is countering your readership claim by posting his number under his stories. Way larger number than yours, dude. Look into it. He may be lying.
Hey Juan, what happened to the huge bumps on Tetreau's nose? They disappeared. If you see her can you please ask her to put those bumps on my street because everyone speeds through here. Thanks.
Instead of giving "incentives" to Space X , why not give incentives to the taxpayers of Bro. Tx ?
Get a life you fool.
This is a gigantic scam in all proportions. !!!
It is better being a fool rather than a greater fool. You fool !
I see that the bully (Bobby) who doesn't even know how to spell the name of the street he drives on every day agrees that rockets are tricky and seems to think that blowing one up every now and then is the cost of doing business and you are a short-sighted fool if you don't see that. Well, he says, he is concerned about Boca Chica Beach. Kinda. I'm one of those fools that can't help but think that the cost of doing business at this site is too high. I wonder what the distribution pattern of unburned fuel is when one of those things auto-destructs 500 feet over the launch pad. What other caustic chemicals are going to be spread over the dunes, estuaries and surf? Will some of those satellites they plan to launch at Boca Chica be carrying radioactive material? How about shrapnel? It is not about being afraid of taking a chance; it's about the damage done when that chance goes wrong. Space X may be good for the county but is going to damage Boca Chica Beach. The Righteous One probably has a plan for fixing that. Lets hear it.
Space X in not good for Brownsville. Think the owners just see a bunch of starving Mexican Leaders ready to give up their peace, tranquility and safety for a few minimum wage jobs. Trust us Space X owner sees the desperation in you face. Brownsville Has Been Played! God Bless This Area!
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