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Scaled Composties Explosion Toll Rises To Three
Los Angeles (AFP) Jul 27, 2007 A rocket exploded Thursday at an airport in the California desert, killing two people and seriously injuring four others, firefighters said CNN television reported that a third person had died but authorities would not immediately confirm the report. "There was an explosion on the Mojave Airport at 2:30 this afternoon (2130 GMT)," fire engineer Roberto Figueroa of the Kern County Fire Department told AFP. "There are two confirmed fatalities and four seriously injured." "What exploded was a rocket," he said. The airport is located 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Los Angeles. Local television broadcast images taken from a helicopter showing debris scattered over a wide area and a semi-trailer split by the blast. According to the station, the explosion erupted from tanks filled with rocket fuel during engine tests carried out at the airport. The Mojave desert site near the US Edwards Air Force Base is home to several private space flight companies. Among them is Scaled Composites, an aerospace company run by US engineer Burt Rutan, who in 2004 won a 10-million-dollar prize by launching a rocket to space twice within a two-week period. The six victims including all three fatalities of the blast were employees of Scaled Composites. Scaled Composites is currently working with British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic to send tourists to space by 2010.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
US Govt Recovers Backpay For Employees Of Colorado-Based Ball Aerospace And Tech
Denver CO (SPX) Jul 27, 2007The U.S. Department of Labor announced an agreement with Ball Aerospace and Technologies Inc., a Broomfield, Colo.-based aerospace defense contractor, to pay $976,327 in back wages to 904 employees at Ball facilities in Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio, Georgia and the District of Columbia. "The department is committed to making sure that workers are paid all the wages they are due," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "In this case, nearly $1 million in back wages will be paid to over 900 workers and the company is taking steps to ensure that workers are properly compensated in the future." |
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