Blackened Sea Launch Heads for Home
Following a preliminary assessment, engineers said that the platform sustained minor damage, but it’s still entirely seaworthy. Although it’s still a little charred, the platform is traveling back to the home port under its own power, and staffed by a full complement of crew. The biggest damage to Odyssey seems to be its rocket flame deflector, but that will be one of the first items to be repaired when it returns to dock.
Needless to say, Boeing and its partner firms in the Sea Launch operation will begin an investigation to understand why the Zenit exploded, and to prevent similar accidents in the future.
Original Source: Sea Launch News Release
Recent Posts
Axion Dark Matter May Make Spacetime Ring
Dark matter made out of axions may have the power to make space-time ring like…
Earth’s Old Trees Keep A Record of Powerful Solar Storms
Most of the time the Sun is pretty well-mannered, but occasionally it's downright unruly. It…
New Supercomputer Simulation Explains How Mars Got Its Moons
One mystery in planetary science is a satisfying origin story for Mars's moons, Phobos and…
The Early Universe May Have Had Giant Batteries of Dust
The largest magnetic fields in the universe may have found themselves charged up when the…
The First Close-Up Picture of Star Outside the Milky Way
Like a performer preparing for their big finale, a distant star is shedding its outer…
Here’s What We Know About Earth’s Temporary Mini-Moon
For a little over a month now, the Earth has been joined by a new…